USC Basketball: Reporters Think Exhibition Play Points To Possible All-Pac-12 Season For Third-Year Wing

Will he make the leap?

When it comes to determining just how far the USC men's basketball team can go in their 2023-2024 campaign, it's really all going to come down to the role players becoming stars in their own regards. We know that Isaiah Collier will have everybody playing at a fast pace and Boogie Ellis will get more open looks than ever.

However, we saw how the Trojans had to make huge defensive adjustments during their recent international trip and were in some close battles despite going 3-0 in Greece and Croatia. USC has become quite the scoring program over the past couple of years and head coach Andy Enfield makes sure to feed the hot hand most of the time but he also knows that shooting their way out of close battles does not always work.

This is where returning forward Kobe Johnson comes into play. He proved last season to be one of the best defenders in college basketball and also proved to be a reliable option from beyond the arc. Luckily, he is not going to be tasked with a ton of offensive responsibilities seeing all of the options the Trojans have but he shined during the summer tour.

247 Sports experts Connor Morrissette and Shotgun Spratling especially loved what they saw from Johnson during these three exhibition games and Connor Morrissette envisions a big year for him if he keeps rising.

"He looks like he's taken another step forward in his development on both offense and defense. If his three-point shot falls consistently,

Kobe Johnson

could legitimately become a first team All-Pac-12 player."

(Via 247 Sports)

Shotgun Spratling also chipped in his own opinion and highlighted Johnson's all-around game.

"Mr. Do Everything showed he has taken his game to another level, leading the team in every defensive category: steals, blocks, deflections and charges taken. He just needs to shoot more consistently. He shot poorly in the opening game against Mega MIS, but was 12 for 25 in the final two games."

(Via 247 Sports)

Johnson already broke out onto the scene last season and plenty more people will become familiar with his game soon.