Midway through the first half of USC’s 82–74 win against Cal on Wednesday, Bronny James, the Trojans celebrated freshman, delivered the first highlight. Following a steal by Isaiah Collier, James sprinted out in transition. From just outside the three-point line, Collier flipped a pass towards the rim which James collected in midair, throwing down a two-handed slam.
Five months after a near-tragic cardiac incident, James, 19, continues to round back into form. Last Saturday, James scored a season-high 15 points in a loss to Oregon State. On Wednesday, James, the oldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, chipped in 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, adding three assists.
“He’s developing as a player,” said USC coach Andy Enfield. “It’s nice to see, nice to watch.”
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While James is contributing offensively, his defense has stood out. James finished Wednesday’s game with one steal, but he had four deflections in the first half, routinely disrupting Cal’s half-court offense. “He’s very active with his feet and his hands,” said Enfield. “He’s strong and he anticipates well.” With Cal chipping away at USC’s lead late in the second half, Enfield reinserted James, who is on a minutes restriction, for the final 93 seconds.
“Just his anticipation,” Trojans guard Kobe Johnson said of James’s defense. “He knows when passes are coming to be in the right spot at the right time. He has active hands. That’s everything you want in a defender. He’s very smart. He knows when not to gamble, when to gamble. Just being able to have someone out there who can also lock up the opposing team’s best player is nice to have.”
Wednesday’s win pushed USC back to .500, a disappointing start for a team that began the year with lofty expectations. On Wednesday, Enfield put the blame on himself for the Trojans’ road-heavy, early season schedule. He has challenged his players to keep the defensive intensity up and the turnovers down as USC begins a stretch of three straight home games.
“I know there was a lot of expectations,” said Johnson. “We all see the internet, [what people] say about us, about how good we should be. We’re just going to play our game. We all know how good we are. We’re a family here. No matter what happens we’re going to stick to it together. We’re just going to keep on playing. I think we’re starting to come together as a team. I think these next few games are going to be really good.”
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An increasingly productive James should help. Enfield said there was no specific timetable on lifting James’s minutes restriction, calling the decision a “week-by-week type thing.” Johnson, though, says he sees the confidence in James growing every day in practice. Back-to-back strong games are only the beginning.
“He’s starting to be more confident as a player and he’s starting to play his game,” Johnson said. “He’s starting to get into his groove and become the player everybody knows he is. It’s great to have him.”
