This article is part of our Sorare NBA series.
We have reached the point of the NBA season when "trends" become a watchword. Articles are written about trends. The topic is bandied about on social media. Those trends also are pertinent to my Sorare NBA recommendations. Here is my Upgrade, my Hold, and my Downgrade.
Card prices shown reflect the most recent sale price for each player on the Sorare Marketplace as of Nov. 20, 2024 at 10 AM ET.
Upgrade
Payton Pritchard, BOS ($5.94): The three-point onslaught in the NBA will continue until the league actively makes changes to limit them. Boston under Joe Mazzulla is either the trend setter or the canary in the coal mine depending on how you feel about a trey-based NBA. Through 14 games, Pritchard has gotten up 8.9 three attempts a night, and he's converted 41.9 percent of them. He's a career 39.7-percent shooter, so his accuracy is sustainable, as is his prolific shooting. Pritchard comes off the bench, and he still has only fallen below 20.0 Sorare points three times.
Hold
LaMelo Ball, CHA ($36.92): Well, Ball has been able to play through his finger injury, so that's encouraging. He's been great, and 50-point Sorare nights have been abundant. I also feel like, for now, he's hit his ceiling. There are injury concerns, of course. However, I also feel like his negatives are as valid as his positives. Ball has turned the ball over 4.4 times per game. Oh, and he's also committed more fouls than anybody else in the NBA and has fouled out three times in 13 games. Those both indicate undisciplined play.
Downgrade
Cason Wallace, OKC ($10.59): Wallace came into this year dealing with the double-edged sword of expectations. He had a secondary, even tertiary, role as a rookie, but he made 41.9 percent of his threes. Surrounded by talent, surely Wallace would be splashing corner threes with gusto. Not quite. He's played more minutes, and even started some, but he's averaged only 6.4 points per game. Not only has he not attempted more threes, but he's only made 25.0 percent of them. Wallace has yet to hit 30.0 Sorare points. Being on a talented team can also mean you lose minutes to other options when your play doesn't cut it.
