USC Basketball: Trojan Guard Wants To Make Life "Living Hell" For Players He Defends

The man is relentless.

Returning USC Trojans men's basketball swingman Kobe Johnson, a Pac-12 All-Defense selection last year, revels in his output on that end of the floor specifically, as he explained in a recent USC hoops behind-the-scenes short.

The 6'5" junior will be an imperative supporting player for a starry backcourt featuring projected 2024 lottery pick Isaiah Collier, a freshman out of Murrieta, Georgia, and returning guard Boogie Ellis, a probable first round pick. Bronny James' fate on the club is a bit more unsure following his cardiac arrest two weeks ago.

Johnson, a Milwaukee native, averaged 12.7 points on .468/.360/.841 shooting splits, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, a whopping 3.0 steals and 0.6 blocks a night, across 33 contests (29 starts). He will be captain on the team for a second straight season. His total steals tally (72) paced the Trojans, and ranked second in the Pac-12 conference and 17th in the entire NCAA.

Your best scorer vs. our best defender.

We’ll take @iamkobejohnson every time. pic.twitter.com/ipcBH5E1JR

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) August 2, 2023

""I do watch a lot of film defensively," Johnson said. "I know a lot of people watch themselves offensively as well, but I take a lot of pride in watching a lot of defensive film, because I feel like that aspect of the game is where I'm best at. I want to come out every game and just guard the best player, lock them up. I want to make that night a living hell for them."

We want that too, Kobe. We want that too.