USC Basketball: Trojans Guards Considered Best NBA Draft Contenders In Conference

This could be a great USC squad.

In 247Sports' piece titled "The Pac-12's top 2024 NBA Draft Prospects," written by Adam Finkelstein, two Trojan guards made the cut.

The first, as expected, is 5-star recruit Isaiah Collier. As the top-ranked prospect in the nation, the expectation was for Collier to play a massive role for the Trojan backcourt out of the gate, which sounds like the plan. 

Finkelstein writes:

"His power, pace, and most of all, his passing are among his best attributes as a pure point guard. His conditioning varied a bit during his senior season, but he looked exceptionally fit during USC’s foreign tour this summer to Greece and Croatia.

The shooting is going to be the key for Collier. There were inconsistencies in his release throughout high school. Opposing team’s will game plan to try to expose that the college. If he shows growth in that area and convinces scouts he’s a projectable threat, [both] with his pull-up and as a spot-up floor-spacer, then it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to get lottery consideration."

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Adam Finkelstein, 247 Sports

The second component of the excerpt is what's particularly interesting. If Collier's jumper doesn't properly develop, the impact he'll make at the next level will definitely be limited. Very few players in college, let alone the NBA, find themselves successful at his height with a questionable jump shot. Defenses can sag off while he's playing on-ball, which would leave him open as a jump shooter when he's off-ball, clogging the paint/doubling the ball-handler instead.

It's definitely a storyline to watch, but Collier is a unique blend as a prospect, even without a jumper, so expect him to go high in the draft regardless. 

The second prospect is the most valuable NIL athlete in the world, Bronny James. James is a 6'3 guard with a pretty well-rounded game but doesn't excel in any particular area. 

His overall decent (not great) levels of production in high school and on the AAU circuit are what concerns scouts, as while he has great name recognition and a pro-ready game, it's not at the level of other top prospects. 

The elephant in the room with Bronny, however, is his health. Finkelstein writes: 

"Of course, there is now another major variable at play and that is his health. Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during a workout in late July, which is now being attributed to a congenital heart defect. While the James family has said we will see Bronny back on the floor in the very near future, it is inevitable that any team interested in drafting him will want to do their own detailed medical testing."

Bronny's stock will largely depend on his health, as he has a case to be a lottery pick if healthy off of his skillset and name recognition alone. At the same time, if his heart condition continues, the whole situation gets murkier. 

Regardless, it's all worth monitoring, and this Trojan squad should be one of the most media-covered and popular in the nation. 

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