USC's JuJu Watkins 'Trying to Maximize' Recovery from Torn ACL Injury

USC star JuJu Watkins discussed her ongoing recovery from the right ACL tear she suffered last March during Friday's Team USA training camp session in Durham.

After eight and a half months of recovery, Watkins said she has "finally" been able to resume workouts, shooting and ball-handling, according to ESPN's Kendra Andrews.

"Whatever I can do, I am trying to maximize that," Watkins said, per Andrews.

Watkins suffered her knee injury during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on March 25.

She announced in September she would sit out the entire 2025-26 college basketball season while rehabilitating the injury.

Watkins will not be an active participant during this week's training camp, according to Andrews.

Paige Bueckers, who missed the entirety of her 2022-23 college season after tearing her own ACL, expressed sympathy for what Watkins is going through when asked about her injury during training camp.

"It's easy to get tired of the redundant days of month three through five, where you're just really working to get that quad strength back," Bueckers said (h/t Chicago State of Mind Sports). "But every single day that you're putting in work is a day closer to you getting to play the game that you love again."

Watkins set a DI women's freshman record with 920 points in 2023-24, then ranked third in the nation with 789 points during her sophomore 2024-25 season.

She could return to USC for the Trojans' 2026-27 season, after which point she will be eligible to enter the 2027 WNBA draft.