One key flaw for USC this season: offensive threats can’t stay on the floor very long
USC has needed a knockdown shooter for a long time. Tahj Eaddy wasn’t an elite shooter, but he did hit a lot of very important perimeter shots in big moments for the 2021 USC team which reached the Elite Eight.
Having one guy who can hit important jump shots means so much to the Trojans, since they build their teams around a big man who can tend to so many details on defense and the glass. Opponents focus on containing the big man and unavoidably force USC to play through the perimeter to win games. If USC has the marksman who can stick 3-pointers, the Trojans’ ceiling rises considerably.
USC has a few players on this team who have notable potential as game-changing shooters: Harrison Hornery, Oziyah Sellers, and Malik Thomas. Of the three, Thomas has shown the most as an “instant offense” sparkplug this season. Hornery had a few brief moments of brilliance last season. Sellers impressed everyone as an elite shooter in high school. Andy Enfield marveled at his shooting ability before this season began.
Saturday night against Utah, the three players combined for a total of 10 minutes played. Thomas played seven, and Hornery and Sellers made very brief appearances that didn’t amount to anything.
One could make the point that on a night when USC hit 7 of 16 3-pointers — unusually good for the Trojans — the team didn’t need its shooters. Narrowly, that’s probably true. However, it still can’t be viewed as a good sign that the Trojans don’t have these players playing 10 to 12 minutes per game on a consistent basis. If they were integrated more fully into the lineup and the flow of the season, the chance for any of them to deliver a big performance at some point would be much higher. It’s hard to play minimal minutes and then be expected to make significant contributions. If these guys were getting 12 minutes every night, more would be asked of them.
It’s clear that Thomas, Hornery and Sellers can’t get extended minutes because Enfield doesn’t think they’re ready at the defensive end of the floor. USC would give up too much on defense to warrant playing these guys for what they can deliver on offense. If the Trojans can somehow change this particular equation in the coming weeks, they might find the extra measure of quality which can give them the high-end wins they need to change the outlook for their season.
List
A Trojan tribute to Charles White: 1958-2023
