LAS VEGAS — A few stragglers remain after the USC men’s basketball team’s Tuesday practice at the Galen Center, trailing off and gathering on the sideline to collapse in jokes and fits of laughter, until Bronny James is the last player on the floor.
He waits beyond the 3-point arc, a team manager stationed under the basket to shag, assistant Jay Morris feeding him passes. Catch. Fire. Catch. Fire.
It is a familiar sight, James often lingering post-practice to work on his jumper, the work ethic that attracted USC to recruit James beyond the pomp and the circumstance and the family name the world will never forget.
Two days later, a few minutes into the second half of USC’s win over Arizona State, James lets a 3-pointer fly. It hits off rim.
It’s the first 3-pointer he’s taken in his past five games.
Since freshman point guard Isaiah Collier’s return in early February from a monthlong injury absence, James’ minutes have dwindled gradually, down to spurts of 10-15 minutes per game. Reports around his future in the 2024 NBA draft continue to swirl, and public vultures continue to circle, feasting upon mere morsels of statistical output from a rocky freshman season.
James has averaged 1.2 points a game in his past five games; even still, USC coaches continue to insist, box scores do not define James, pointing to the myriad of ways in which the freshman guard and son of Lakers star LeBron James is able to influence basketball games.
Trojans coach Andy Enfield was asked, after an 81-73 win over Arizona State on Thursday in which James took two shots in 16 minutes, if he would encourage James to be more aggressive at times with his shot.
“Sure, sure,” Enfield said, nodding Thursday. “But we want all our guys to take open threes, and make plays. But he has a tremendous assist-to-turnover ratio, he doesn’t turn over a ton, and he also sees the floor very well, and gets guys the ball when they need him.”
“So he’s kind of a…
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