Buzz Break: 2019-20 Panini Chronicles NBA cards (blaster)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

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

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one ...

Packs per box: 8 (all cards from box in gallery below)
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 40
Chronicles set completion: 7 of 50 (14 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal

Rookie Cards (21) – see gallery

Base subsets: 26 (all cards are numbered as part of the standard set but I'm detailing them here as I would if inserts)
Donruss (1) – Terence Davis
Essentials (4) – Terence Davis, Darius Bazley, Jaxson Hayes, Daniel Gafford
Flux (1) – Ja Morant
Luminance (1) – Coby White
Marquee (2) – Goga Bitadze, Jordan Poole
Panini (2) – Trae Young, Matisse Thybulle
Playbook (2) – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarrett Culver
Prestige (3) – Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Anthony Davis
Recon (1) – Jarrett Culver
Rookies & Stars (4) – Rui Hachimura, Grant Williams, Jordan McLaughlin, James Harden
Threads (4) – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carsen Edwards, Tyler Herro, Cameron Johnson
XR (1) – Cam Reddish

Inserts: 7
Pink Chronicles parallel (1) – Pascal Siakam
Pink Essentials parallel (1) – LeBron James
Pink Hometown Heroes parallel (1) – Cameron Johnson
Pink Luminance parallel (1) – Ja Morant
Pink Playbook parallel (1) – Cam Reddish
Pink Recon parallel (1) – Jarrett Culver
Pink Threads parallel (1) – Kendrick Nunn

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: Buzz managed a handful of blaster boxes this morning in a retail aisle showdown -- the first one there decided to share -- and this one was the finale that delivered big in a haul that (spoiler) went hitless. The Pink Ja Morant card is an in-demand pull -- that one card in theory pays for all I got (flip to completeds) -- because it's an iconic photo of a (missed) dunk that will go down as one of his greatest cards. The Morant presence here alone (two RCs and a parallel) gets this box an A+ but it's also one that delivered pretty well with a LeBron sighting among the pinks and some notables among the various sets. (I'm still calling them sets though this one is numbered like each of them is part of one whole set ... so it's all subsets here other than parallels and hits.) Blasters are the home to Pink cards and those are largely the only colors here other than Silver parallels for the stuff on Optichrome stock (Prizm, Hometown Heroes, Flux, etc.) though I didn't land anything that wasn't Pink among all of my boxes. Hits are possible here -- mostly as Red parallels but some others are possible -- but since I landed nothing in that realm I'm not all that worried about it. I will say the variety factor of Chronicles is one that I've been a fan of the last few years but I had a little higher expectations here for some added variety. Everything I landed here was standard stock or foilboard other than the basic Optichrome stock cards that don't flow very well in blasters. The overall mix here is still an A product but I think based own this format it just needed something a little extra to put it into the elite status product-wise. (Really good products have to deliver well in all formats ... and even in a lesser box.) This one came very close but this box was like that Morant photo -- a little head and shoulders above the others. (Who didn't I find here? That Zion Williamson Guy for starters ... and this box wasn't alone there. One thing I didn't find here? Any Prizm cards ... odd? ) I got some solid blasters in my morning haul but this one was by far the best one. (Don't worry, you'll see the rest right here in the coming days and weeks.)

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A+ (a ridiculous box thanks to Ja Morant alone)
Fun Grade: A

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com