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The USC Trojans began this season ranked nationally in the AP men's basketball poll with man NBA scouts anticipating the debut of probably lottery pick Isaiah Collier. But there was one other player on the USC roster that perhaps drew more attention, one Bronny James.
James' college basketball career was delayed while he recovered from cardiac arrest, but he made his debut in early December and has been a fixture in the Trojans rotation since then. He's drawn a lot of attention not just because of his family name, but because he's been talked about as a possible one and done so he can play with his dad in the NBA.
Saturday was a big day for Bronny as he got his first start of the season with Collier set to miss four to six weeks with a hand injury and Boogie Ellis out with a hamstring injury. So how did Bronny look in his first start? Let's take a look.
Bronny James struggles in his first start
Things didn't go so well for Bronny James or the USC Trojans against Colorado. They suffered another loss, 68-58, and James struggled on the court. He went scoreless shooting 0-7 from the field and 0-3 from the three point line without shooting any free throws. He did register two rebounds and one assist.
It's been a rough stretch for James the past few games as he's been unable to find a consistent shooting rhythm. The team in general has been struggling to find wins. They currently hold an 8-9 record and are 2-4 in Pac-12 Conference play. That's not what was envisioned before the season began.
Against Colorado, USC actually held a double digit lead, 37-24 at halftime, but allowed Colorado to outscore them 44-21 in the second half.
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It's important to note that James is still getting up to game speed and adjusting to the college level following his offseason health scare. Overall, he's played in nine games for the USC Trojans so far in a little under 18 minutes per game. He's averaged 5.2 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 34.8 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent shooting from three point range and 64.3 percent shooting from the free throw line.
Where Bronny James did excel against Colorado, especially in the first half, was on the defensive end of the court. That's been the one consistent aspect of James' game this season his tenacious defense. For NBA Draft watchers out there, that's a translatable skill to the next level.
But his shooting touch has been off the past few games. Ever since USC's win against Cal on Jan.3 during which he shot 4-6 from the field while scoring ten points, he's been unable to find the bottom of the basket. He's 0-14 through the last three games since then.
With Isaiah Collier set to miss an extended period of time, it's interesting to see what head coach Andy Enfield decides to do with the starting lineup. There's no potential timeline yet for Boogie Ellis who played in the Trojans last game against Washington State before sitting out against Colorado.
If Ellis is able to return soon, it's possible Enfield goes back to having Bronny come off the bench and maybe Oziyah Sellers could take his place in the backcourt. Sellers had his best game of the season against Colorado with a career-high 18 points off the bench.
In any case, Bronny James certainly has some translatable skills and he might have just hit a rough patch. There's no question the kid is talented and his continued development is going to be key to watch as the season progresses.
