2022-2023 Hoops Basketball Blaster

22-23 Hoops:  One of my favorite times of the year...Hoops and Donruss basketball start hitting the shelves and I found blasters at my local Wal-Mart this weekend.  This Doncic is not a "base" design but is part of the Tribute subset (#s 281-300).  Luka is having another crazy good year and will be there with The Joker and Embiid (if he can get healthy) as the leading MVP candidates at years end.

One of my first takeaways from opening the blasters was the photography.  It really looked good.  Not on every card but it does stand out to me.  The design overall is one I like.  It feels like a Hoops design.  Might be hard to make out but the border at the top is gray and fades into white as it moves down the side.

Unfortunately, a foot injury before the season has kept the #2 overall pick, Chet Holmgren, from playing this season.  Will be fun to see how the seven footer's skills translate to the NBA.

Not a bad start on the Rookie Greetings cards but something in that background would help.  They've done it before with muted cityscapes to give it more of a postcard feel.

Purple and blue highlights as well as the back.  For a black and white back it is better than some of their previous efforts but still not much to write home about.

Some love for the bigs.  The Rudy Gobert thing really hasn't worked out in Minnesota.  Not many really thought it would but it's been pretty bad.  Towns' injury hasn't helped but Gobert hasn't looked his old self even when not sharing the court with another big.

Tyrese Maxey is in his third year and having a great season averaging 21 PPG for the 76ers.  The Arriving Now inserts aren't bad.  The muted background is that look as you depart your airplane.

Skyview are okay.  I like Frequent Flyers better.  They have that ticket vibe to them.

Darius Garland and the Cavs have it going this year and are currently the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.  The Donovan Mitchell acquisition was huge but Garland is having another outstanding season.

You'll find retired greats in the Hoops Tribute subset but only a handful.  We need more!  Seems like just a few years ago it was much easier to find greats from the past on new cardboard.  We'll end it with LeBron who is doing ridiculous things at age 38.

BREAKDOWN:

90 – Total Cards

13 – RC

4 – Blue Parallel

2 – Arriving Now

2 – Purple Parallel

1 – Retired Great

1 – Frequent Flyers

1 – Rookie Greetings

1 – Rookie Remembrance Relic