USC Basketball: Isaiah Collier Believes In Bronny James At NBA Level

Collier has faith in his former teammate.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted former USC men's basketball player Bronny James No. 55 overall on Thursday, but many are skeptical of whether he can succeed in the NBA. Bronny spent just one season playing college basketball, and while that's common with NBA players, he never was a consistent starter for the Trojans and did not have a strong year with USC.

While there are plenty of doubters, former Trojan teammate Isaiah Collier is confident that Bronny will be great in the NBA.

“The NBA is going to be great for [Bronny],” Collier said during the NBA pre-draft camp, via Caroline McCarthy of the New York Post. “People haven’t seen as much as what we’ve seen as a team. He’s going to be a great player. Little that people know, he’s really good."

Collier of course spent a lot of time with Bronny during the 2023-24 campaign and got to see him firsthand during practices and games. Collier clearly believes the talent and potential is there, but the numbers were unable to reflect that for Bronny at USC.

Both Collier and Bronny spent just one season at USC, with neither quite living up to the lofty expectations during their year with USC. While Collier was still a first-round pick, many thought he could go top-10 prior to his freshman season. However, both players saw their seasons impacted by health issues as Bronny suffered cardiac arrest and Collier missed a month with a hand injury.

Now, they will look to have better careers in the NBA, where they should see plenty of time to develop. This is especially true for Bronny, who will be behind plenty of depth on the Los Angeles Lakers and should get to learn under great players like Anthony Davis, and of course, his dad LeBron. He should initially make his debut next month when the NBA Summer League kicks off.

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