The fanfare surrounding Auburn basketball’s game with USC on Dec. 17 at Neville Arena has increased drastically.
[autotag]Bronny James[/autotag], son of NBA star LeBron James, is set to make his season debut on Sunday for USC when the Trojans host Long Beach State at the Galen Center in Los Angeles according to a report by The Athletic. The news means that there is a possibility that he will be available to play against the Tigers next Sunday.
James suffered a cardiac event during a workout in July, which put his freshman season at USC in jeopardy. However, he has progressed tremendously over the last four months. USC head coach Andy Enfield says that James has increased his cardio and is doing individual workouts to prepare for his season debut. He may play on Sunday but do not expect him to play a full game.
“It’s hard enough to adjust to the college game for anybody, but when you’ve been out for six months, it takes time,” Enfield said in an interview with The Athletic. “But Bronny has been incredible. His attention to detail, his work ethic, he’s taken this step by step with our athletic trainers, our doctors, and our strength coach.”
After the news of James’ clearance, we reached out to Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek to get his thoughts on what James’ court presence will mean for USC going forward. Outside of the excitement that it will bring to the Trojan fanbase, Zemek believes that the team will receive a boost in production as well.
The Trojans’ offense has not evolved the way many hoped with top-ranked recruit Isaiah Collier joining veterans Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson. Bronny’s ability to hit 3-point shots while playing solid perimeter defense will take pressure off Collier and — from a USC standpoint — give Collier a better chance to do what he does best: Get to the rim in a one-on-one situation. Collier has not piled up free throw attempts the way many people thought he would. USC is still not scoring with the degree of ease the Trojans needed — and hoped for — when the season began. Bronny can really open up the court and give coach Andy Enfield a lot more flexibility in mixing and matching backcourt combinations.
Dec. 17’s game between the Tigers and Trojans will be a star-studded affair now that James has been cleared to play. There will be three members of the 247Sports composite top-25 for the 2023 cycle on the floor. Led by USC guard Isaiah Collier, the top-rated prospect of the 2023 class, the game will also feature No. 18 player [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] of Auburn and No. 22 player Bronny James.
Auburn will face USC on Sunday, Dec. 17, at noon CT at Neville Arena in Auburn. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Bronny James expected to make USC debut Sunday vs. Long Beach Statehttps://t.co/cQNlwGpD3e
— Daniel Shirley (@DM_Shirley) December 8, 2023
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