USC's Isaiah Collier Out 4-6 Weeks with Hand Injury; Projected Top-5 NBA Draft Pick

The USC Trojans received some tough injury news on Thursday.

Freshman Isaiah Collier, who is a projected top-five 2024 NBA draft pick, is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a hand injury in Wednesday's 72-64 loss to Washington State, the team announced, per Kyle Boone of CBS Sports.

With 12 minutes remaining in the matchup, Collier turned the ball over and was whistled for a foul before exiting. He returned to the bench and was seen wearing a brace on his hand.

Collier, a former five-star prospect, committed to USC in November 2022 as the No. 1 ranked recruit in the country, per 247Sports. His commitment, coupled with that of Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, helped the Trojans land the No. 3 ranked recruiting class for 2023.

Collier has largely lived up to the hype during his freshman year, averaging 15.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 16 games while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and. 31.3 percent from deep.

However, the Trojans have struggled this season and sit ninth in the Pac-12 with an 8-8 record.

Collier is likely headed to the NBA after this season, and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman lists him as the No. 10 prospect available on his big board in part due to his decision-making and shooting.

With the 19-year-old expected to be sidelined for at least a month, it'll be interesting to see how his draft stock changes.