USC's Isaiah Collier says he's entering 2024 NBA Draft after 1 year in college
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 is 6-foot-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 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 season, shooting 49 percent overall and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc. He was forced to sit out January with a fractured hand.
USC did not have the year everyone expected it to have. The Trojans were ranked before the season began, but things changed drastically once they started actually playing. USC sunk lower and lower as it failed to make good on its preseason promise. The Trojans 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 in her latest NBA Mock Draft.
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.
