USC Trojans' JuJu Watkins Injury Update From Unrivaled Coach Phil Handy

Former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach and current coach of the Mist Basketball Club in the new Unrivaled league, Phil Handy recently appeared on the "All That Smoke" podcast with former NBA player Matt Barnes, and Handy revealed an update on the status of USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins.

"JuJu, on the other hand, was a little different," said Handy. "You know, a young athlete, just the first time she's ever been injured. And the first couple days for her were really tough, just from a mental standpoint. But man, she's got a great inner circle, her family, her parents. I had a chance to talk with her a number of times. We went to lunch, and she's on the other side of that now."

Handy and Watkins have a history of training together, and it seems as though that Watkins is leaning on Handy's experience as she recovers from her torn ACL.

Nov 8, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks over video with assistant coach Phil Handy before playing against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

"She's like, 'Man, I'm ready. I'm going to come back stronger. I understand that this is going to be good for me. I can work on my body. I get a chance to work on other parts of the game from a mental standpoint, you know, let me let me understand the game from an IQ standpoint and dive into those areas.' So she's already she's already tracking in the sense of, I'm going to be ready for this to comeback," Handy continued.

Watkins suffered her injury in the Trojans' NCAA Tournament run. She led USC to a No. 1 seed in March Madness, and she has since earned multiple player of the year honors. With her injury occurring deep into the year, there is a chance Watkins will utilize a redshirt for the 2025-26 season.

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Still, Handy suggests that Watkins is taking full advantage of the opportunity to improve her game off of the actual court. The former Lakers assistant praised Watkins for continuing to work despite rehabbing from a torn ACL.

"You know what I love about her this year? You know, before I left for Unrivaled, we would work out at least twice a week. But when I left, she was like, 'Phil, we got to get on Zoom. We got to watch film.' So we we would try to watch film at least once a week on Zoom. The student part of the game is where she's really trying to have the growth," said Handy.

Dec 30, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) watches a shot in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"I think a lot of people look at JuJu and just see her talent, but she's like, we talked about her just having her basketball IQ rise to the same level as her talent," Handy continued. "Like we would watch film and she was always always curious. 'What about this? How do I read this? Okay, what's what's here?' And that part of the game for her, I saw a lot of growth in terms of just her understanding, just her her gravity. And then how can I how can I get better at making my teammates better?"

The Trojans will certainly miss Watkins on the floor to start the 2025 season, but the thought of Watkins growing her game is a scary one for USC's opponents.