The USC basketball team brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country this year. The Trojans snagged Isaiah Collier, the top player in the 2023 class, and Bronny James, a five-star and the son of LeBron James. USC was supposed to be loaded and a top team in the Pac-12, but it hasn't panned out so far. The Trojans are currently 8-11 overall and 2-6 in Pac-12 play. There is still time to turn it around, but not a lot of it.

LeBron James has been talking about how Bronny James is ready to play in the NBA, but a lot of people think that his play with USC basketball isn't backing that up. James has struggled a little bit with the Trojans this season. He is currently averaging 5.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.9 APG. He is shooting just under 37% from the field. He's in a bit of slump, but his head coach, Andy Enfield, isn't too concerned about it.

“Players go through stretches during seasons where they shoot a very high percentage and sometimes, it goes the other way where they struggle for a few games,” Andy Enfield said in regards to James, according to an article from ESPN. “That's true for all players and all sports as well. Everybody has their highs and lows throughout the season. He's improved a lot. But he's only been playing for a month. He works very hard and he's had really good practices.”

Because of his dad, the spotlight will always be on James, and that has been evident since he came to play at USC. The whole country isn't concerned with how the Trojans are playing, they are concerned with how Bronny James is playing. It seems like people forget that he is a true freshman. A lot of true freshman don't even step on the court. Enfield knows that there is a lot of growing that will happen, and that's okay.

“He's a typical freshman, where there's a lot of improvement and development that has to be done,” Enfield said. “He's done a great job of trying to become a better player and he has become a better player. As we go through the season, we expect him to keep being productive and help us.”

Things haven't gone to plan for James this season, and they haven't gone to plan for USC. The Trojans aren't giving up, however. They are going to battle until their season is over.

“At this level, we don't make excuses,” Enfield said. “We have to go out and compete. Whoever is on our roster, whoever is healthy has to go and play as hard as they can. We're not looking for sympathy and all that stuff about having guys out because no one really cares. That's what we tell them.”

We'll see if USC basketball is able to turn things around a little bit before the end of the season gets closer. The good thing about college basketball is that if you get hot at the right time, your previous struggles won't matter. Maybe James and the Trojans will get hot at the right time.