Two weeks into the season, the rookie class is starting to separate itself, and the card market is following right along. With 7-8 NBA games under their belts, the 2026 draft group has begun settling into roles, and the names drawing the most attention are the same ones producing on the floor.
At the top of the board sits Cameron Boozer, who is looking like exactly what plenty of people expected when he came out of college. He’s the only rookie averaging a double-double, putting up 17.4 PPG and 10.3 RPG, and that production has pushed him into the top spot for a big slice of the basketball world - collectors included.
One Bowman U Best Refractor is a perfect snapshot of that rise. It sold for $6.50 on October 14, then climbed more than four times in value, with its latest sale landing at $28.
Right behind Boozer, Caleb Wilson and Yaxel Lendeborg are tracking in the same lane from a collectibles standpoint. Lendeborg had the loudest single-game outburst of the group, pouring in a career-high 37 points on 68% shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers. Wilson, meanwhile, has been steady every night and remains one of the class’s best scorers at 21.6 PPG.
Darius Acuff Jr. has earned a tier of his own. He’s been defined early by volume, but the production has been impossible to ignore.
His 26.1 PPG leads all rookies by a wide margin, and that mark also makes him the tenth-best scorer in the entire league right now. He’s been just as sharp as a passer, too, with 6.3 APG, the best assist number among rookies.
His Gold Kaboom! /10 has mirrored that surge in perception.
The PSA 8 card first sold for $4,560 in late September, then hit $10,000 on the first day of the new month, becoming his second card to cross five figures.
AJ Dybantsa is in his own lane as well, though the reason he lands lower here is simple: his collectibles are still generally pricier than Acuff Jr.’s. Still, his first games with the Washington Wizards have gone well.
Through that small sample, he’s at 19.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 50% shooting, enough to calm some of the early nerves around his investment appeal. His top sales since debuting include a 2025 Topps Chrome McDonald’s Red Wave Golden Patch Auto /5 for $7,500, a 2025 Bowman Chrome University Orange Shimmer Refractor /25 in PSA 10 for $5,000, and a 2025 Bowman U Now Red Foil /5 RC in a PSA 10 for $3,750.
Further down, Tier 4 is where the rookies who haven’t stood out as much land, even if they’ve still been useful to their teams in their current roles. That group is cheaper to collect than the names above, with one notable exception: Darryn Peterson.
He’s been a solid contributor with 13.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG, but his lower- and mid-end market has been quiet. The high-end side, though, remains active.
A 2025 Bowman Chrome Anime Red Refractor /5, graded PSA 10, just became his fifth-most valuable card ever before Halloween, selling for $8,325.60. It’s also his most valuable sale for any card since he debuted with the Jazz.
Keaton Wagler, Meleek Thomas, and Mikel Brown Jr. are also holding their own. Their high-end cards are still relatively affordable, and for fans of those teams, they remain worth a look.
In Other News...
AJ Dybantsa Is Already Raising The Wizards Ceiling
AJ Dybantsa has wasted little time changing the conversation around the Wizards, and not just because of what he has done with the ball in his hands. The No. 1 overall pick has been a real factor in Washingtons recent wins, bringing a two-way presence that has already shown up in the details, from limiting key scorers to making timely defensive plays.
What makes it even more intriguing for Washington is how quickly the staff is starting to think bigger with him. Dybantsas versatility gives the Wizards a chance to experiment with lineups that look far more dangerous on both ends, especially alongside Anthony Davis, and the early returns suggest this is more than just a developmental detour. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Keefe Is Giving The Wizards Something They Desperately Needed
Brian Keefe has spent three seasons as Washingtons lead assistant, but early in the 2026-27 campaign hes starting to look like the steady hand the Wizards have been missing. With the team off to a 4-3 start, the most encouraging part has not been the record itself so much as the way the defense has tightened up and the rotations have looked more organized, even with the roster dealing with injuries and other lineup shuffling.
Keefes influence has shown up in how Washington is using its players and adjusting on the fly, a welcome change for a group that has spent too much time searching for structure. The larger question now is whether this early progress can hold once the schedule gets tougher and the lineup is whole again, because the Wizards have already shown enough to make their defensive improvement feel real, even if the full picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards May Have Found A Formula That Can Actually Hold Up
The Wizards win over Orlando offered a reminder that there may be something sturdier taking shape on the defensive end. Washington kept the Magic under 100 points for the second straight game, a level of consistency the franchise has not managed in a back-to-back stretch like this since early last season, and it came with notable offensive help from Anthony Davis and rookie AJ Dybantsa, who both cleared 20 points.
Deandre Ayton also made his starting debut and gave Washington a useful blend of rebounding and ball movement, the kind of low-drama contribution that can help a lineup settle in. For a team still searching for an identity, the bigger question is whether this version of the Wizards can keep stacking nights like this once the schedule and the matchups get less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]