USC point guard Isaiah Collier told ESPN on Wednesday that he is leaving college and declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Collier, a 19-year-old freshman who stands 6-5, has spent one year in college.
It’s not a major surprise that Collier is entering the draft. The five-star recruit was the No. 1 prospect in the country out of high school, and was likely to be a one-and-done. Those chances rose even further when USC brought in Eric Musselman as head coach to replace Andy Enfield, who left USC for SMU at the beginning of April.
Collier had a good season at USC despite missing some time. He averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Trojans this year, shooting 49 percent overall and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc. He was forced to sit out January with a fractured hand.
USC, however, did not have the year everyone expected them to have. They were ranked before the season began, but things changed drastically once they started actually playing. USC sunk lower and lower as they failed to make good on their preseason promise. They finished 15-18 overall (8-12 in conference) and missed the NCAA tournament.
Despite that, Collier’s draft stock remains relatively high. Here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek wrote about him.
Collier did himself a lot of favors by returning to the court after being sidelined for an extended time with a hand injury. He already has the size to bully-ball guards in the NBA, but he’ll need to develop a better shooting rhythm in order to be the complete, all-around player teams are looking for.
The 2024 NBA Draft will take place June 26 and 27, the first time the proceedings have been spread over two nights instead of just one.
Source Agencies
