Most Improved NBA Players And What Happens to Their Card Values
In the sports card hobby, player performance is the engine that drives everything. A breakout season, an MVP campaign, a deep playoff run, each one shifts card values, often dramatically and quickly. But the biggest opportunity for collectors isn't buying after a player has already arrived. It's recognizing improvement before the market catches up.
The NBA's Most Improved Player award is one of the clearest signals the league produces that a player's trajectory has changed permanently, and the card market responds accordingly. In this guide we look at what the MIP award does to card prices, which current players are following the same improvement arc, and what's in stock at JerseyDon right now for collectors who want in before the next spike.
How the Most Improved Player Award Moves the Card Market
When a player wins the MIP award, three things typically happen to their card market in quick succession. First, casual collectors who weren't paying attention start searching for the player's cards — driving up demand on marketplace platforms almost overnight. Second, existing holders of those cards raise their asking prices, knowing demand has increased. Third, population reports from grading companies like PSA become the reference point as investors assess how scarce high-grade copies actually are.
The result is a price spike that usually peaks in the weeks following the award announcement, then stabilizes at a new floor that's meaningfully higher than pre-award levels — provided the player continues to perform. The collectors who profit most are those who identified the improvement arc a season or two before the trophy was handed out.
"The biggest gains in the card market go to the collector who buys before the mainstream audience knows the player's name."
Four Players Who Prove the Point
Tyrese Maxey — 2023-24 Most Improved Player
Maxey's trajectory is the cleanest recent case study. Selected 21st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020 NBA Draft, he spent his first two seasons as a solid backup — good enough to keep, not yet compelling enough to build around. Then in the 2022-23 season, with Joel Embiid sidelined, Maxey stepped into a lead role and never gave it back. By 2023-24 he was averaging 25 points per game, commanding All-Star conversation, and won the league's Most Improved Player award by a comfortable margin.
Collectors who bought Maxey's 2020-21 rookie cards in the quiet period between his draft year and his breakout — when he was still priced as a backup — saw returns that dwarfed anything available in a savings account. His card prices settled at a significantly higher floor after the award and have held there. At JerseyDon, we carry his jersey for fans who want to represent the reigning MIP on gameday.
IN STOCK: Tyrese Maxey Black Philadelphia 76ers Men's Jersey
Available in Size L and Size M | MIP 2023-24 | Price: $65 | jerseydon.com
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — The Slow Build to MVP
SGA's improvement arc didn't come with a single trophy — it came in stages that collectors could track year by year if they were paying attention. Acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Paul George trade, Gilgeous-Alexander spent his first seasons on a rebuilding team that kept him largely out of the national spotlight. That obscurity was an opportunity.
By the 2022-23 season SGA was averaging 31 points per game for a Thunder team that surprised everyone by making the playoffs. By 2023-24 he was an MVP finalist and a consensus top-five player in the league. His 2019 Panini Mosaic cards — including the Pink Camo parallel — were available for very little during his quiet OKC years. That window has closed, but his graded cards at current prices still reflect a player who has room to win an MVP before he's done.
IN STOCK: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2019 Panini Mosaic #133 Pink Camo PSA 10
Gem Mint | OKC Thunder | 5 watchers | Low-pop Pink Camo parallel | Price: $69.99 | jerseydon.com
Jalen Brunson — From Backup Point Guard to Franchise Cornerstone
Jalen Brunson's card market is one of the most dramatic improvement stories in the hobby over the past three years. Drafted 33rd overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, Brunson spent four seasons as a reliable but unspectacular backup — the kind of player whose rookie cards from Prizm Draft Picks sat in dime boxes at card shows. Then came the 2021-22 playoffs.
With Luka Doncic sidelined, Brunson took over and averaged 27 points per game against the Utah Jazz. Dallas signed him to a max contract extension — then the New York Knicks came calling. Since arriving in New York, Brunson has become one of the most efficient scorers in the league, led the Knicks to multiple deep playoff runs, and earned the kind of New York City media spotlight that amplifies a player's card market like almost nothing else can. His rookie cards, once nearly worthless, now trade as legitimate hobby assets.
JerseyDon carries multiple Brunson graded cards and his Knicks jersey — which has 16 active watchers on eBay, more than almost any other item in our inventory.
IN STOCK: Jalen Brunson 2022-23 Panini Select #22 PSA 9
Mint | Knicks | Select base | Price: $75 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Jalen Brunson 2023-24 Panini Select Green Ice #7 PSA 9
Mint | Green Ice parallel | Knicks era card | Price: $59.99 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Jalen Brunson 2023 Prizm Draft Picks #87 PSA 8
NM-MT | Prizm Draft Picks | Pre-breakout set | Price: $60 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Jalen Brunson 2022-23 Panini Mosaic #95 PSA 9
Mint | Mosaic base | Budget Brunson entry | Price: $30 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: New York Knicks Jalen Brunson Men's Blue Jersey
16 watchers — most-watched jersey in our inventory | Price: $50 | jerseydon.com
Anthony Edwards — The Sustained Rise
Anthony Edwards didn't win a Most Improved Player award — he improved too consistently for any single season to stand out as the obvious breakout year. The 2020 #1 overall pick has simply gotten better every season, in the way that the truly elite players do. From raw rookie to All-Star to legitimate MVP candidate and playoff closer, 'Ant-Man' has followed the trajectory that makes his rookie cards among the most attractive long-term holds in the modern NBA hobby.
The 11 watchers on our Anthony Edwards Donruss Orange Laser PSA 9 listing is the highest watcher count of any individual card in our current inventory — a real-time signal that collector demand is active and competitive on his cards right now.
IN STOCK: Anthony Edwards 2020-21 Panini Prizm Rookie SGC 10
Gem Mint (SGC) | Timberwolves | 5 watchers | Flagship rookie set | Price: $85 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Anthony Edwards 2020 Panini Donruss Orange Laser PSA 9
Mint | Orange Laser parallel | 11 watchers — most-watched card in our inventory | Price: $89.99 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Anthony Edwards 2020-21 Panini Chronicles #580 PSA 9 RC
Mint | Chronicles base rookie | Budget entry point | Price: $49.99 | jerseydon.com
Also Worth Watching: Emerging Improvement Stories
Beyond the established names above, two players in our inventory represent improvement arcs that collectors should be watching closely heading into 2026:
Tyrese Haliburton — Indiana's Engine
Haliburton arrived in Indiana via trade from Sacramento and immediately transformed the Pacers into one of the most entertaining teams in the league. His passing ability, court vision, and efficiency make him a legitimate All-Star and a player whose improvement arc — from solid starter to franchise point guard — mirrors the Brunson pattern. His rookie cards remain accessible. JerseyDon carries his 2020 Panini Select Silver Prizm RC raw and his 2023 Revolution Neutron numbered /125 PSA 8.
IN STOCK: Tyrese Haliburton 2020 Panini Select Silver Prizm RC (Raw)
Ungraded | Pacers | Submit to PSA for potential upside | Price: $40 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Tyrese Haliburton 2023 Panini Revolution Neutron #45 /125 PSA 8
NM-MT | Numbered /125 | Limited print run | Price: $29.99 | jerseydon.com
Paolo Banchero — The Second-Year Leap
The 2022 #1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic, Banchero won Rookie of the Year and then showed the kind of second-year improvement that makes scouts reach for superlatives. Orlando, long one of the NBA's quietest markets, is building something real around him — and his card market has started to price in that potential. His rookie auto PSA 10 at $850 is our premium Banchero listing; the Select Blue PSA 10 at $39.99 is the accessible entry point for collectors who want exposure without the premium outlay.
IN STOCK: Paolo Banchero 2022 Panini Donruss Optic Rookie Auto PSA 10
Gem Mint | Rookie autograph | Magic | Premium tier | Price: $850 | jerseydon.com
IN STOCK: Paolo Banchero 2022-23 Panini Select Blue #169 PSA 10
Gem Mint | Select Blue parallel | Accessible entry | Price: $39.99 | jerseydon.com
How to Spot the Next Most Improved Player Before the Market Does
The collectors who get the best returns aren't the ones buying after the trophy is announced. They're the ones tracking improvement signals a full season before mainstream recognition arrives. Here's what to look for:
· Role change. Age 23–26 with a new coaching staff or expanded role. Most MIP winners are players who finally get a genuine opportunity to show what they can do, not players who suddenly developed new skills overnight. A backup who becomes a starter — or a starter who finally gets a coach who uses him correctly — is the classic MIP setup.
· Preseason signals. Summer league and preseason stat lines. The hobby pays very little attention to summer league, but significant jumps in shot selection, efficiency, and defensive engagement often show up there first before translating to the regular season.
· Playoff auditions. Playoff performance the previous year. Brunson's 2022 Dallas playoff run is the clearest recent example — a player who looked transformed under pressure. The spotlight of the playoffs reveals improvement that 82 regular-season games can obscure.
· Market inefficiency. Cards that are still priced as backups. Once a player's improvement is obvious to the general public, the easy money is already gone. The opportunity is in the player whose cards are still priced at 'role player' levels while advanced stats already suggest a leap is coming.
Do Prices Hold After the MIP Spike?
The honest answer: it depends on what happens next. The MIP award creates a price spike driven partly by genuine demand and partly by speculative buying. In the weeks following the announcement, prices often overshoot. Then the market corrects to a new equilibrium that's higher than the pre-award floor but lower than the spike peak.
Whether that new floor holds long-term comes down entirely to continued performance. Julius Randle won the MIP in 2021 on the back of a career year, but when his production declined, his card values followed. Maxey's cards have held because his improvement hasn't been a fluke — he's sustained it. SGA's have held because he's become one of the two or three best players in the league.
The lesson: the MIP award is a useful signal, but it's not the whole story. A player with genuine, sustained improvement is a long-term hold. A player who had one great year in a specific context is a sell-into-strength situation. Knowing the difference is what separates collectors who build value over time from those who chase spikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the NBA Most Improved Player award recently?
Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers won the 2023-24 Most Improved Player award, capping a season in which he averaged 25 points per game and established himself as one of the league's premier guards. Previous winners include Lauri Markkanen (2022-23) and Ja Morant (2021-22), both of whose card markets moved significantly in the months around their awards.
Do rookie cards spike more than veteran cards when a player wins MIP?
Generally, yes. Rookie cards are the cards most collectors want — they're the definitive first-year representation of a player, and their populations are fixed by the print run of a set that's years old. When demand spikes after an MIP award, rookie card prices move faster and higher than cards from more recent sets. That's why identifying improvement early, and buying rookie cards before the award, is the highest-upside collector play.
Is it too late to buy Jalen Brunson's rookie cards?
The window for dime-box prices on Brunson's Prizm Draft Picks rookie closed a few years ago. But his current card prices — particularly the PSA 8 and PSA 9 versions of his Prizm and Select cards — still reflect a player who hasn't yet won a championship or an MVP. If Brunson continues leading the Knicks deep into the playoffs and earns All-NBA recognition, there's a credible case for further appreciation from today's prices.
What's the best Anthony Edwards card to buy right now?
For investment-minded collectors, the 2020-21 Panini Prizm SGC 10 is the benchmark — the Prizm brand is the most liquid and widely recognized rookie card set, and a 10 grade is the standard for serious holdings. For collectors on a tighter budget, the 2020-21 Panini Chronicles RC PSA 9 at $49.99 is the most accessible authenticated Edwards card in our current inventory. Both are available now at JerseyDon.
Find Your Next Hold at JerseyDon
The players covered in this guide — Maxey, SGA, Brunson, Edwards, Haliburton, Banchero — represent different stages of the same story: improvement that the card market either just recognized, is currently pricing in, or hasn't fully caught up to yet. Each one has graded cards in our current inventory across a range of price points.
Browse our PSA graded card collection at jerseydon.com, or reach out on Instagram @jerseydon if you're looking for a specific player, set, or grade. We respond within 24 hours and handle collector requests of all sizes.
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