Before the 2017-18 NBA season started, it was clear there were some rookies who were ready to play right away.
You may not have expected one of them to make the list.
Despite being drafted late in the first round, he’s boosted an already strong class of players. And yes, his quick rise to stardom has Kyle Kuzma rookie cards in high demand by collectors and long-term prospectors.
The Kuzma File
A Flint, Michigan native, Kuzma is the first rookie in NBA history to amass 1,000 points, 130 3-pointers and 400 rebounds in a season. He’s the first Lakers rookie with back-to-back 20 point/10 rebound games since Magic Johnson. Kuzma is the third rookie in Lakers history to have 1,000+ points and shoot better than 50% from the field. The other two are Magic and Worthy. While the Lakers missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season, Kuzma is a big reason why the franchise’s future looks 
promising.
After trading D’Angelo Russell and the expiring contract of Timofey Mozgov, the Lakers acquired the 27th choice in the 2017 draft along with Brook Lopez and used the pick to take Kuzma, a University of Utah star.
It turned out to be a stellar choice.
Kuzma is already considered one of the best Laker rookie in history–and that’s not an easy list to make.
Kyle Kuzma Rookie Card
As a first round pick, Kuzma has plenty of rookie cards. Among the earliest releases was 2017-18 Hoops with Kuzma featured in base cards and parallels along with the now highly sought after autographed cards from products like 2017-18 Hoops Hot Signatures Rookies #25, 2017-18 Hoops Great SIGnificance Autographs #63 and 2017-18 Hoops Rookie Autographs #44. There were also low-numbered parallels.
Just after collectors loaded up with Kuzma Hoops cards, Prizm was released and Kuzma card prices hit new heights with low numbered parallels such as Gold and Red Shimmer soaring past $1,000 early on. Counting the parallel versions, there are dozens of Kuzma cards to search for in 2017-18 Prizm and throughout his first season, it was Prizm that dominated sales.
Collectors also flock to his Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs that were issued later in his first season and late or post-season high-end product releases of the best rookies always bring strong prices.
Some of the low-cost Kuzma rookie cards to look for include Hoops base, 2017-18 Ascension #105, 2017-18 Panini Chronicles #108, 2017-18 Court Kings #127, 2017-18 Revolution #102 and 2017-18 Donruss #174.
If collectors want to find the earliest cards with both Kyle Kuzma and fellow Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball on them, it is card 2017-18 Panini Instant #59 (and of course, the very rare parallel versions including Orange, numbered to 5, and the 1/1 Black which carry autographs.
Sometimes card collectors have to guess whether a player new to the league has the skills to not only stay in the NBA but to make an impact. They didn’t have to do that with Kuzma, who became an instant hit, pushing his rookie cards up in price. If he continues to perform at a high level, playing for a high-profile team certainly won’t hurt as his career unfolds.
Below is a live list of the current ‘most watched’ Kuzma cards on eBay:
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