Sorare NBA: Upgrade, Hold, and Downgrade

The NBA season is here and Sorare NBA is back in full swing. Chris Morgan gives the market update, including a look at one of the more intriguing evaluations this season with LeBron James.
Sorare NBA: Upgrade, Hold, and Downgrade
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Sorare NBA: Opening Week

Welcome to another NBA season! The 2025-26 NBA campaign seems primed to be quite exciting, and I think "Roundball Rock" is entirely overrated. Of course, that means it is time for another season of Sorare NBA action, and thus my Sorare NBA recommendations. Each week, I will offer up an upgrade, which is to say a player that is on an upswing (stock up, as it were). There will also be a hold, which is "wait and see" or a player with an asterisk. Lastly, there will be a downgrade, which is a player who I think is heading in the wrong direction, or has at least been notably cold.

Obviously, we don't really have any data on this season, so my upgrade, my hold, and my downgrade are based largely on changes in circumstances. I hope you have a successful Sorare season. Let's get to it! Oh, and go Pistons!

Sorare NBA values as of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 21

Upgrade

Andrew Nembhard, IND ($47.98): Tyrese Haliburton being out for the season is a bummer for the Pacers and the entire NBA. However, if there's a player who stands to see a role increase, it's Nembhard. He averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last year while he averaged 28.9 minutes per game. He should be averaging five-or-six more minutes a night at least, and the ball should certainly be in his hands more. The Pacers will be worse without Haliburton, but Nembhard's Sorare points could soar.

Hold

CJ McCollum, WAS ($18.14): The Wizards are still rebuilding but still profile as a better situation overall than McCollum's previous stop (Pelicans) so this is still technically an upgrade for McCollum! Will McCollum be out there chucking up shots for a rebuilding team, delivering empty-calorie numbers but a lot of Sorare points? Or is he a 34-year-old on a team looking to the future who has had trouble staying healthy? McCollum has steadily averaged 20 points per game for a decade, but nobody stays on top of their game forever, especially undersized shooting guards. I could genuinely see it going either way for McCollum this season.

Downgrade

LeBron James, LAL ($51.46): Alright, I did want to make a bit of a splash in the first article of this season, but this also totally makes sense. LeBron is the best player in NBA history in my opinion. He's also 40, and he has sciatica. The Lakers are Luka Doncic's team now. One thing that stands out to me is that James averaged 4.7 free-throw attempts per game last season, because he can't get to the rim like he used to. It's remarkable he's a viable NBA player at his age, but you don't get Sorare points for being remarkable. LeBron will not be one of the 20 best players in the NBA this season. That may feel odd to wrap your head around, but it was going to happen eventually.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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