USC Basketball: Isaiah Collier Slides Down Lottery in Latest ESPN Mock Draft

The former USC standout has seen his rep take some hits since joining the Trojans.

Mar 13, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC Trojans guard Isaiah Collier (1) loses control of the ball. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

It's a bit unclear where former USC Trojans guard Isaiah Collier, who has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, will get selected. He had been seen as a potential top lottery pick, but a middling, injury-riddled performance during the 2023-24 season took a bit of the wind out of his sails. Some future projections see him slipping out of the lottery entirely.

Some ESPN pundits, however, still see him as a (late) lottery selection.

In a fresh mock draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony projects Collier to slip a smidge, from the No. 10 to No. 11.

"Collier is viewed as a polarizing prospect, with a wide draft range starting around the mid-lottery and extending throughout the first round," Givony writes. "Few prospects share the shot-creation prowess, scoring instincts and star power Collier boasts, but his lack of scoring efficiency, nontraditional shooting mechanics and inconsistent defense make it difficult to gauge how prepared he is to impact winning early in his NBA career, considering USC's struggles this season. Collier can use the pre-draft process and remind teams why he was his recruiting class' No. 1-ranked player coming out of high school, as well as assuage some of these concerns."

The 6-foot-5 Pac-12 All-Freshman averaged 16.3 points on .490/.338/.673 shooting splits, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals a night for a lackluster 15-18 Cardinal and Gold squad that missed the NCAA Tournament and now sees its head coach and its nine top players defecting.

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