USC lacks a traditional power forward and might have to play two centers at times

Andy Enfield has to make the pieces of the puzzle fit.

USC has an elite backcourt, which means it will play smaller lineups for a good portion of the coming season. However, big lineups could serve a purpose for the Trojans. Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated explained:

“There would be a lot of benefits for USC to play bigger and try to dominate people on the glass, protect the rim, especially given how good a rim protector Josh Morgan is,” Sweeney said. “I also think they are at least athletic enough and mobile enough that they hold their own switching onto the perimeter against smaller guys at the four. They’re going to have to be able to play both ways. I think they do lack that traditional four. I think that will hurt them at times this year just because of teams able to exploit matchups at that spot. But optionality is a good thing, and I think USC has the opportunity to play multiple ways, which a lot of teams wish they had.”

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The one simple principle which will help Bronny James and Andy Enfield at USC

Bronny James will want extended minutes. Fans will expect him to play. Andy Enfield must be able to do what’s best for #USC. Let’s talk.

Everyone can understand and accept the basic premise that Bronny James would not have come to USC if he wasn’t going to get extended playing time. He’s not coming here to ride the bench and learn for a year.

Yet, there are also several realities which strongly recommend that Andy Enfield should make Bronny James a sixth man and bring him off the bench. We’ll get into those details as we go along, but we can all see that Bronny will want to play, which is a reasonable expectation from his end.

Fans who buy tickets to USC basketball — which is going to have regular capacity crowds and enjoy a surge in popularity this season — will expect to see a lot of Bronny James.

Enfield will be torn between the need to play Bronny and give the fans what they want, and — on the other hand — play the lineups which give USC the best chance of winning. He can’t succumb to the pressure to play Bronny if it doesn’t put the Trojans in an ideal position. He has to strike a balance.

What can and should Enfield do? Where can reasonable people — Enfield and Bronny — arrive at a sensible arrangement? We’ll lay it out below: