Two games into the 2026-27 NBA season, the early surprise list already has some clear names on it. A few of the offseason’s biggest headline moves are drawing attention, but the real buzz is coming from players who weren’t always expected to sit at the center of their new teams’ plans.
Ty Jerome has been one of the loudest statements so far. In Memphis’ second season with him on the roster, he erupted for a career-high 45 points against the Utah Jazz and powered the Grizzlies to a victory by more than 20 points.
That outing also set a franchise mark for the highest-scoring performance in a season opener. For Jerome, who is in his eighth year in the league, it was a rare scoring explosion - he had topped 30 points just once before in his NBA career.
The Grizzlies’ offense looked like a question mark after the team moved on from both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant over the past year, but Jerome has answered that concern through the first two games. His rise has even shown up in the card market, where his 2019 Panini Prizm Rookie #268 Silver Prizm PSA 10 (POP 86) sold for an all-time high of $99.99 on October 22nd, a jump of $69.99, or 233%, over the past 2.5 months.
Tyler Herro has stepped into a much different spotlight in Milwaukee, where he arrived as a key piece of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. The Bucks’ offense has run through him early.
In Milwaukee’s 132-125 loss to the Chicago Bulls, Herro was the only Buck to clear 20 points, finishing with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. He followed that with a team debut in which he led the Bucks in shot attempts and scored a team-high 24 points.
Through two games, Herro has stacked up 58 points, a personal best for the opening two games of a season. That kind of start points toward him being the Bucks’ top offensive option. His 2019 Panini Prizm Rookie #259 Silver Prizm PSA 10 (POP 864) has also climbed quickly, increasing $32.56, or 139%, over the past month and selling for $56 on October 20th.
Walker Kessler is making a similar kind of early impression in Los Angeles. The Lakers had been searching for a center to anchor the group behind their stars, and after two games, Kessler looks like the answer they wanted. He spent his entire career with the Utah Jazz before this offseason’s sign-and-trade, which sent two first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two first-round swaps (2028 and 2030) to Utah while Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers.
The production has been immediate. Kessler has scored 48 points across his first two games in purple and gold, putting up 22 and then 26, and his 84.6% shooting from the field is the best in the league.
In his debut, he went 12-for-12, good for the second-best shooting performance in franchise history. He then followed that with a game in which he became the eighth Laker to record six blocks and three steals in the same contest.
His card market has moved just as fast. Kessler’s 2022 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie #213 Holo PSA 10 (POP 15) has risen $94.99, or 380%, over the past 1.5 months and reached an all-time high of $119.99 on October 24th.
In Other News...
Bucks Draft Regret Looks Even Worse As Another Guard Breaks Out
The Bucks 2024 draft choice has only looked more painful as Ajay Mitchell keeps building momentum in Oklahoma City. Milwaukee took AJ Johnson instead, and while Mitchell has emerged as a strong Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Johnson has had a much tougher start to his NBA career. The contrast has become hard to ignore for a team that was trying to restock its backcourt and find a young guard who could fit alongside its veteran core.
Johnsons time in Milwaukee ended less than a year after draft night, and his departure was folded into the Bucks controversial deal that sent Khris Middleton and Johnson to Washington for Kyle Kuzma. For a fan base already uneasy about that move, Mitchells rise only adds another layer to the regret, because the player Milwaukee passed on is now looking like exactly the kind of guard the roster could use. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Already Have One Reason To Believe In The Giannis Trade
The Bucks have already found an early payoff from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade by folding several of the players they got from Miami into the rotation. Four of those newcomers are already among Milwaukees top five scorers this season, a sign that the deal has quickly reshaped the roster in ways the team can actually measure on the floor.
Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have been the most visible parts of that return haul, but Kasparas Jakucionis and Kel'el Ware have also flashed in bigger roles as the Bucks search for useful depth. Nate Ament, another piece from the Heat package, has started to see the court too, giving Milwaukee more chances to evaluate how much long-term value this trade might still yield. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Have Been Dreading
The Bucks 127-116 loss to Philadelphia served as another reminder that the margin for error can disappear quickly when the other team is getting efficient production from its stars. Joel Embiids triple-double set the tone for the 76ers, and the rest of the supporting cast did enough to keep Milwaukee chasing the game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 21 points, but the overall effort never quite matched the pace Philadelphia established.
For Milwaukee, the concern goes beyond one defeat in a crowded season. A night like this can expose how hard it becomes to keep up when the offense stalls and the opponent keeps answering every push, especially against a team on a roll. The Bucks now have another example of the issue fans have been bracing for, even if the broader answer to it is still waiting to be found. [Read more 🡒]