Buzz Break: 2019-20 NBA Hoops Winter basketball cards

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The box: 2019-20 NBA Hoops Winter 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: 72 of 280 (26 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery ...

Notables on base cards – Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Kemba Walker, Victor Oladipo, J.J. Redick, T.J. Warren, Khris Middleton, Harrison Barnes, Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall, Kyle Kuzma, Aaron Gordon, Jrue Holiday, Paul George, Reggie Jackson

Rookie Cards (14) – Ja Morant, R.J. Barrett, Nassir Little, Brandon Clarke, Cameron Johnson, Terance Mann, K.Z, Okpala, Miye Oni, Quinndary Weatherspoon, Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby, Tremont Waters, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Poole

Inserts/short-prints: 15 (all in gallery below with some base)
Hoops Tribute (Nos. 281-300) (4) – Rui Hachimura, Coby White, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone
Purple parallels (4) – Jeff Green, Kelly Oubre Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., Nassir Little (RC)
Get Out The Way (1) – Derrick Jones Jr.
Frequent Flyers (2) – LeBron James, Aaron Gordon
Arriving Now (1) – Rui Hachimura
Lights, Camera, Action (2) – Luka Doncic, Devin Booker
Class of 2020 (1) – Sekou Doumbouya

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Rookie Sweaters (1) – Brandon Clarke

What's Buzz-worthy: You might have seen a slightly different looking box out there for NBA Hoops this year if you're hunting at retail and this one is a second helping of the brand but with a wintery feel similar to last year. This time around the cards are all a little iced over with some snow falling over every single card -- just not with visible snowflakes like last year. It's a texture applied to all cards here, though it's easier seen on some than on others among the inserts. New this time? There are photo-shoot worn ugly NBA sweater cards possible among the hits and that was what I landed in the guaranteed hit pack here. See how the fabric is sticking out some? That's because this particular piece had two layers of fabric to make up the swatch. (I didn't pull it out but probably could -- it's probably a folded layer at the bottom of the swatch window. See the gallery.) There are 41 players who donned sweaters for this set and there are also 18 dual-sweater cards in the mix. ... As said for my standard break, 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, either, 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. It appears the Purple cards are the only parallels in this format while the other possible hits include Winter versions of Rise N Shine memorabilia cards and standard Great SIGnificance autographs. It's a simple lineup for the base, parallels and inserts that could make it a do-able master set with the Purples the biggest challenge, though I'd bet everything might be a tad rarer than people might expect for a basic flagship-style release like this. All in all, I think this might be a better rip than basic blasters also because there probably just isn't as much made and the RCs like Williamson do stand out a little more than others who get iced here.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: A-
Fun Grade: A- (good variety of inserts/rookies)

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