Boston Celtics Star Jayson Tatum's Trajectory and Collectability
When comparing the start of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum's NBA career to other all-time greats, he's up there with the best of them. At 26 years old, he's currently a 5 (soon to be 6) time All-Star and an NBA Champion - and if that's not enough, Tatum already has more total playoff points than John Stockton, Kevin Garnett, and Bill Russell.
Since Jayson Tatum got drafted in 2017, no other player has won more games than him. Both in the regular season (354) & playoffs (68). Also since he came to the NBA, nobody's scored more points in the playoffs than him (2,711) which is almost 500 more than 2nd place. pic.twitter.com/E0y1JXo6De
— ☘︎ (@CelticsRepublic) November 29, 2024
Individual accolades aside, the Boston Celtics are consistently ranked as the consensus #1 team in the league, and are therefore perfectly poised for more championship runs in the near future. This is partially because of the level of play the Celtics have become accustomed to, as well as the weak state of the Eastern Conference. Either way, more finals runs for the team's best player will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his all-time ranking and overall popularity.
It's worth noting that while more accolades obviously help, Tatum's popularity is already higher than most would think. According to NBA.com Jayson Tatum ranked third in jersey sales last year behind only the biggest names in basketball: Stephen Curry, and Lebron James.
So what does all of this mean for his sports card prices? The truth is, it's hard to find a more undervalued young star right now given his accomplishments and trajectory. Just compare his flagship rookie card to another young star in Anthony Edwards.
While it's true that Anthony Edwards is 3 years younger and is an incredibly exciting athlete to watch, he hasn't compiled half of Tatum's accolades and is in a significantly tougher conference, on a worse team, with a rookie card that has more than twice the supply of Tatum's. Despite all that, Edwards' rookie card has been consistently selling for more money.
It's not just Anthony Edwards whose cards are stacking up better than they should against Tatum. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is another player, who is selling in a similar price range to Tatum, often within $100 of him. While Shai has certainly elevated his game in recent years, he's still a mere 2 time All-Star without a finals appearance to show for it, at the same age of 26.
Luka Doncic is a different story. To see why I think his prices are justified, check out my article on his cards here.
This next part goes without saying - collect who you like. If you're enamored by the scoring of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or the athleticism of Anthony Edwards, their cards might be just right for you. But if you're looking for a player with some nice long-term potential, who without a doubt has a chance of becoming a player of the era, look no further than Jayson Tatum.
Jason is a dedicated basketball card collector who recently transitioned into writing and educating others about the sports card industry. Find him on Instagram @jeancardz