USC star guard Isaiah Collier, a projected NBA lottery pick, will miss the next four to six weeks with a hand injury, the school announced Thursday night.
Collier was injured in Wednesday's loss to Washington State.
Collier, a 6-foot-5 freshman, entered the season as the favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA draft. However, the Georgia native's campaign has had many ups and downs, as USC has struggled en route to an 8-8 record. Collier opened the season with 18 points and six assists in a win over Kansas State, and scored 23 and 24 points in consecutive games against UC Irvine and Brown, respectively, in mid-November.
Over the next 10 games, Collier averaged just 12.4 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 22.6% from 3-point range. He had begun to regain his form once the calendar turned to 2024, tallying 13 points and seven assists in a win over California and 26 points and three 3-pointers in a win over Stanford on Jan. 6.
Through 16 games, Collier is averaging 15.4 points and 4.1 assists and is currently ranked No. 8 in ESPN's NBA draft rankings.
With Collier sidelined, there should be more minutes available for rookie guard Bronny James. James has been the first guard off the bench for the Trojans, and although James has struggled with his shooting the last two games, he has shown flashes of his two-way ability in Pac-12 play. James had 15 points and three assists in the loss to Oregon State on Dec. 30 and followed up with 10 points and three assists in the win over California.
“Bronny [is] “He's a very smart basketball player,” coach Andy Enfield said after the Stanford win. “And he plays hard every possession and defensively helps us.” He receives deflections, he can defend the ball against smaller players and is strong enough to defend bigger players. So far, so good.”
USC heads to Colorado (11-5) on Saturday.
