USC Men's Basketball: Writers Confident Trojans Wing Will Earn Massive Defensive Honor

Kobe Johnson is a very underappreciated player from a national standpoint...

Isaiah Collier, Bronny James, and Boogie Ellis will get all of the press clippings as they pertain to the USC Trojans Men's Basketball team.

With that said, there might not be a more important player on the team than wing Kobe Johnson. 

The Milwaukee native does all of the dirty work for this squad. He spaces the floor, knocks down timely threes, and always is tasked with defending the best player on the opposing team. Johnson is also a great connector within the offense -- often moving the ball unselfishly to teammates. In essence, he's the perfect glue guy. 

The Almanac has high praise for @isaiahcollier04, @BoogieEllis and @iamkobejohnson this season! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ph4Y31eLqI

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) September 20, 2023

According to The Field of 68, Johnson is its favorite to win the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award. 

This makes sense on a number of levels. Johnson's length makes him a monster in passing lanes. He's super cerebral -- evidenced by leading the team in steals. Johnson's anticipatory skills truly have him in the running to not only potentially be the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, but also the National Player of the Year. 

As a sophomore, Johnson's shooting numbers shot up considerably. He went from being a 28.6 percent shooter as a freshman to 36.0 percent as a sophomore. Johnson's field-goal percentages increased considerably -- going from 32.4 percent to 46.8 percent. 

You may have heard that there’s some news today…

The Almanac is out now! Here’s the next five players in our Top 100 countdown:

Get The Almanac here: https://t.co/heuZW62nIn pic.twitter.com/pH5ZIEUn98

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) September 20, 2023

Most impressively from a defensive standpoint, Johnson went from averaging 0.6 SPG to 2.2 SPG. 

Now as a savvy upperclassman with years of experience in Andy Enfield's scheme, one has to assume he'll make even more of an impact this year on the defense end -- particularly with a role firmly established within the framework of the team.