Buzz Break: 2019-20 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)

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The box: 2019-20 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 11
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 88
Base set completion: 71 of 280 (25 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery ...

Notables on base cards – Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Vince Carter

Rookie Cards (17) – Rui Hachimura, Admiral Schofield, Romeo Langford, Ignas Brazdeikis, Alen Smailagic, Sekou Doumbouya, Jaxson Hayes, Keldon Johnson, Jaylen Hands, Dylan Windler, Goga Bitadze, Jarrell Brantley, Justin Wright-Foreman, Jordan Bowe, Chuma Okeke, Jalen McDaniels, Carsen Edwards

Inserts/short-prints: 16 (all in gallery below with some base)
Hoops Tribute (Nos. 281-300) (5) – R.J. Barrett, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant
Purple parallels (1) – Andre Iguodala
Blue parallels (3) – Quandary Weatherspoon, Ben Simmons, John Collins
Get Out The Way (1) – Luka Doncic
Frequent Flyers (1) – James Harden
Arriving Now (1) – Cameron Johnson
Lights, Camera, Action (2) – DeAndre Ayton, Zach LaVine
Class of 2020 (1) – Ja Morant
Holo Class of 2020 (1) – R.J. Barrett

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Rookie Remembrance (1) – Taurean Prince

What's Buzz-worthy: NBA Hoops isn't a high-end brand but the NBA Rookie Card arrival of Zion Williamson might make you think it's stepped up a bit. There was no Zion in this box, my first of the year, but it did include a new other high draft picks and some more than once. The basic volume here was pretty much identical to last year and the design for the base cards has a very similar feel but perhaps with a slicker, more Prestige-like at times, design. I got nearly twice as many RCs as I did in my last blaster last year so if that holds up across the board you will get even more shots at Williamson this year -- and that will lead to more big boxes. He's also got plenty of insert presence and he's name-dropped among the autograph tout on the side of the box so ... he should be possible here to some degree. You get an autograph or a memorabilia card in every box and the Red and Blue parallels are only found in blasters -- likely Target- and Walmart-based. This one was from Walmart and had Blue cards -- though the Reds are serial-numbered to only 75 copies. Some of the memorabilia cards in this one have prime parallels limited to only 25, while it looks like the Great SIGnificance  autos are the ones to be found here and that's a 100-card set that includes rookies like Williamson as well as veterans and Hall of Famers. It seems heaviest on the rookies and the old-timers, which is good. The feel of Hoops is as fundamental as Tim Duncan was in the paint but that's part of its appeal. One thing that's held over from recent years? The card backs are only in black ink -- and I kind of wished they noted what pick a guy was taken at in the draft along with noting the year. It's basic on those backs but they include a lot more than many other releases. That point, along with a deep set of 300 cards makes it one for traditional or even oldschool colors as well as the newcomers chasing the new RCs. Hobby will guarantee you ink and a lot more -- so that route is definitely best. One thing to look for this year? The Holiday version appears to be on its way -- I didn't see any in the wild but I know they are coming. You'll probably see some of those here once they arrive. 

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: B+ (no Zion but some solid names)
Fun Grade: A- (good variety of inserts/rookies)

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