USC Basketball: Isaiah Collier Talks Bronny James at Draft Combine

He opened up about his teammate heading into the draft process.

Dec 10, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) pushes the ball up court during the 2nd half against the Long Beach State 49ers at Galen Center. USC Trojans forward Joshua Morgan (24), guard Isaiah Collier (1) and USC Trojans guard Kobe Johnson (0) are also in the play. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

USC Trojans point guard Isaiah Collier entered Southern California as the No.1 player in the 2023 class. Collier chose to come West from Georgia and had himself quite the season. Although it wasn't the best of seasons, from a team's perspective, he set himself up as a possible lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

While Collier was undoubtedly the team's standout player, his former teammate and fellow freshman, Bronny James, commanded significant attention. As the son of Lakers superstar and NBA icon LeBron James, his presence on the team was a constant source of intrigue. Collier, despite his own achievements, acknowledges the impact of having Bronny as a teammate.

In a recent interview with Turner Sports' Andy Katz, Collier shared his thoughts on Bronny's potential at the next level. 

"They gonna see that he deserves to be here," said Collier. "I feel like he deserves to be here. You know, we all had a rough season so it is what it is. Bronny is going to be great; he's going to sell everything soon."

Isaiah Collier on his freshman season @USC_Hoops and teammate Bronny James here at @NBADraft combine in Chicago for @MarchMadnessMBB: pic.twitter.com/18QjzwqdPj

— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) May 14, 2024

Collier and James came into USC as freshmen and now will leave as potential NBA draft picks. Collier wasn't sugarcoating the type of season he and his had in 2023-24. USC came in with high expectations but fell flat on their face. The Trojans failed to make the NCAA tournament with a 15-19 record and finished ninth in the Pac-12. 

As for Collier, he finished second on the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 49 percent shooting from the field and 33.8 percent from behind the arc. He is projected to go within the Top ten and top 20 in the draft. There's a good chance Collier will make an immediate impact on a solid team in the NBA next season. The same could be said for James, who could go late in the second round. 

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