NCAA Insider Leaves Bronny James Off Of USC Basketball's Projected 2023 Starting 5

The son of LeBron James could start his freshman season on the bench.

The world of college basketball exploded when LeBron James Jr. — more commonly known as Bronny — committed to play for the University of Southern California.

James wasn't the only highly-rated point guard to commit to the Trojans. A few months before James made the big announcement, the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit Isaiah Collier signed with USC.

While Collier provides some competition for a starting spot at guard for James, there are several other more experienced players who have already played in Galen Center.

Boogie Ellis announced that he would stick around South Central, defying expectations that the 22-year-old would enter the NBA draft. Ellis will be playing his third season with USC, his fourth overall in college. Ellis raised his average in points-per-game by over five from the 2021-22 season to last season, averaging 17.7 points in addition to 3.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Ellis played point guard for much of the 2022-23 season, and with Collier either taking over or filling at shooting guard, there might not be room for James in the starting backcourt.

CBS Sport's Jon Rothstein believes that James will indeed sit behind those two.

Early prediction on USC's 2023-24 starting five:

Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson, DJ Rodman, Joshua Morgan

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 11, 2023

James is regarded as a strong 3-point shooter and defender, and will likely play significant minutes for the Trojans and could very well earn a spot in the starting rotation. But whose spot would he take? 

Because James, Collier and Ellis all stand at around six-foot-three, putting in all three guards at once would be highly inadvisable. If plausible, it would be a fun and potentially lethal lineup from deep, but small-ball doesn't always end well in college.

While it would be strange to see someone named LeBron James not on the starting lineup, rest assured that Bronny James will certainly make his mark on USC — whether or not he starts.