More Bronny James for USC with Isaiah Collier out with wrist injury

USC Trojans star freshman guard Isaiah Collier is out 4-to-6 weeks with a hand injury, which will lead to more playing time for Bronny James.

A bad season for USC basketball got even worse on Thursday evening after the Trojans announced star freshman guard Isaiah Collier will be out four-to-six weeks with a hand injury which he suffered on Wednesday against Washington State.

Collier came to USC as the top ranked freshman in the 2023 class, but his performance with the Trojans has been spotty at best. Across 16 games, Collier has averaged 15.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 58.1% on two pointers but just 31.3% from three and 66.3% from the free throw line.

The big issue for Collier has been turnovers, as the dynamic guard is capable of taking over games and wowing folks with his athleticism – but his 3.6 turnovers per contest cost USC throughout the season, with most expecting to see continued growth in that area as the season went on.

Unfortunately, Collier won’t get that opportunity for at least the next month, and there is a very real chance his season is over if the team is out of contention by mid to late February.

For USC, it means more playing time and a bigger role for another highly-regarded freshman guard, Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James who did not make his season debut until mid-December after suffering cardiac arrest over the summer.

Across his eight games, James has played 16.9 minutes per night and is averaging 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 62.5% on twos but just 26.1% from three.

Now, however, he will likely step into a starting role alongside talented guards Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, and will get a chance to showcase his skills and potentially push his way into the 2024 NBA draft conversation – which will be a huge storyline if LeBron continues to say he wants to play with his son next season.