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In my first two articles, I discussed undervalued players to Go Long on (Jalen Green, Cameron Johnson, and Nikola Vucevic) and overvalued players to Go Short on (Tobias Harris, Zion Williamson, and Kevin Huerter).
In this article, I’ll go back to some undervalued players. These are three relatively young stars in the league. One of them is established, one of them is taking off as we speak, and the other’s time is coming.
For those that are new to Mojo, it’s the Sports Stock Market that lets you bet on your favorite athletes. It started with the NFL, and as of a month ago, NBA has been added to the platform. You can either bet on a player’s career, or you can bet on their Liquid Props, an all-new feature on Mojo. There are so many ways to win betting on all of your favorite players.
Speaking of favorite players, here are three of my favorites that are destined to have long, fruitful playing careers in the NBA. Go Long on these three rising stars and don’t forget to use Mojo’s unique Multipliers to increase your return on investment.
After reading the article, let me know if you agree. You can hit me up anytime on Twitter @AdamKoffler to talk about it.
Murray really came into his own last season with the Spurs. He averaged career-highs in points (21.1), rebounds (8.3), assists (9.2), and steals (2.0) with a 27.5% usage rate. However, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last offseason and has seen his production plateau. He has still played extremely well alongside Trae Young, but his numbers are down across the board on a 25.1% usage rate.
Just like in the NFL, we have to look at a player’s talent, potential, and situation and factor them all into the equation when making decisions. In this case, Murray became an absolute star in his fifth-NBA season. He looked poised to break fantasy basketball. But because he was traded to the Hawks and is now playing alongside Young, his potential has come back down to earth a bit.
However, we’re focusing on a player’s entire career here. Murray and Young won’t play together forever and he’s already shown the ability to excel as an alpha.
Anytime you can bet on a player like Murray at a Future Value less than that of Jamal Murray ($120.49) and Anfernee Simons ($110.02), you do it.
J. Murray has never averaged more than 6.0 assists per game or 4.2 rebounds per game in any one season thus far. Dejounte is doing that right now playing alongside Young. Now just wait until he’s leading a backcourt by himself like he did in Year 5 in San Antonio. Sky’s the limit for Dejounte, wherever it may be.
Go Long now while his stock price is still relatively reasonable. As you can see from the image above, his share price of $158.27 is still lower than that of the average guard on Mojo. I don’t think anything about him is average. Don’t forget to use his 3x Multiplier to increase your return as his stock price continues to rise.
Bridges is turning into a superstar right in front of our eyes. He’s averaging 26.5 points on 53% FG, 48% 3PT, and 92% FT since joining the Nets via the Kevin Durant trade. His stock is up 13% since the deal, too.
On the Suns, Bridges was a complementary role player amongst a bunch of stars. In Brooklyn, he’s the star. Although further into his career, this reminds me a bit of James Harden when he was traded from OKC to Houston. Harden wasn’t the all-around player Bridges is, but sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to bring out the best in a player. That’s exactly what we’re seeing with Bridges in Brooklyn.
Thus far in his career, Bridges has earned $58.20. That equates to $11.63 per season. With a Future Value of $115.14, the market expects him to play another 10 seasons at his career’s rate of production.
However, his current nightly output is more similar to guys like Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard. Brown has played two more seasons than Bridges, yet has a Future Value of $141.11. I’m not convinced Bridges shouldn’t be in the same conversation.
His usage has gone from just 19.7% in Phoenix this season to 27.5% in Brooklyn. He’s jumping straight into stardom and his stock has yet to fully catch up. Go Long right now before Brooklyn Bridges is no longer a value play.
Vassell isn’t nearly as established as Murray or Bridges, but his time is most definitely coming. Through three NBA seasons, he’s seen his usage rate rise from 14.4% as a rookie, to 19% as a sophomore playing alongside Dejounte and Derrick White, to 25.3% this season as one of the top optoins for the Spurs.
Currently, the market thinks Desmond Bane ($116.61) and Anfernee Simons ($110.02) will have better careers from today forward than Vassel seeing as each have more Future Value than him ($100.57).
Vassell is just 22 years old and went from being a 12.3 points per game role player last season, to a 19.2 points per game “rising star” so-to-speak this season. He’s battled multiple injuries t, but the talent is apparent. It’s only a matter of time before he completely erupts.
You’ll want to be ahead of the curve on that eruption, which is right now. So Go Long, and don’t forget to use his 2x Multiplier to supercharge your bet on the next great rising star for the Spurs.
