USC Basketball: West Franchise Earns High Marks for Drafting Ex-Trojan

As well it should.

Dec 10, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) pushes the ball up court during the 2nd half against the Long Beach State 49ers at Galen Center. USC Trojans forward Joshua Morgan (24), guard Isaiah Collier (1) and USC Trojans guard Kobe Johnson (0) are also in the play. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The top prospect coming out of his high school class, 6-foot-5 former one-and-done USC Trojans guard Isaiah Collier had been seen as a top lottery pick prior to the start of the 2023-24 NCAA season.

When the 2024 NBA Draft finally arrived, however, the Pac-12 All-Freshman Teamer slid all the way to the Utah Jazz with the No. 29 pick. According to Robby Kalland and Brad Rowland of Uproxx, the Jazz deserve an "A" grade for snatching up Collier.

"Collier is one of the more intriguing creation bets in this class, and this is quite a fall for a player widely projected in the top 5-10 picks only a few months ago," write Kalland and Rowland. "Collier is far from a finished product, particularly with his inconsistency and inefficiency this year at USC, but he’s also an NBA athlete who has all the physical tools of a top-level point guard. Utah does have Keyonte George as well, but Collier’s upside is too tantalizing to pass on at this stage."

Across his 27 healthy games for the 15-18 Trojans during what wound up being Andy Enfield's swansong season, Collier posted averages of 16.3 points on a .490/.338/.673 slash line, 4.3 assists, 2.9 boards and 1.5 steals a night. A ferocious downhill driver, Collier is still a fairly raw scorer, as evinced by these shooting splits. On a rebuilding Jazz squad, Collier should get major run, alongside George, at the point.

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