By ADAM ZAGORIA
Isaiah Collier, USC’s star freshman guard who has been touted as a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, will miss 4-6 weeks with a right hand injury, the team announced Thursday.
Collier suffered the injury in Wednesday’s home loss to Washington State in which he scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and checked out with 12:12 remaining.
Collier is averaging 15.4 points on 51% shooting.
Freshman PG Isaiah Collier is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a hand injury sustained in the game against Washington State on Wednesday.
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 12, 2024
As the L.A. Times pointed out, Collier’s absence could mean a greater role for fellow freshman guard Bronny James, who is averaging 5.9 points in 17.0 minutes per game. He has been on a minutes restriction since returning Dec. 10 from cardiac arrest over the summer.
James has struggled offensively of late, but is valued by head coach Andy Enfield for his defense.
“I think all players go through stretches where they make and miss shots,” Enfield said, per the Times. “When we look at a player’s performance, we look at their defense, their energy, their rebounding, their playmaking. You can affect winning without scoring the ball and all our guys, and Bronny in particular, he’s capable of doing that.”
USC was picked second in the Pac-12 but has struggled in going 8-8, 2-3 in the league.
The Trojans’ next three games are on the road: at Colorado, at No. 8 Arizona and at Arizona State.
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