JuJu Watkins Gives Confident Quote in Return from Major Injury for USC

USC star JuJu Watkins doesn't think her game has suffered much after she missed an entire season due to a torn ACL.

"Coming back, I haven't lost my confidence, I haven't lost my attention to detail," the senior guard said, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press. "Everything is the same, it's just I've been out for a minute."

Watkins shook off some of the rust in Sunday's 78-76 exhibition victory over California. She played 22 minutes, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

Former UConn star Paige Bueckers was a two-time All-American in her final two years after tearing her ACL in 2022, and she was instrumental in the Huskies' 2025 national championship.

Watkins could easily be just as sharp as she was before her injury.

One nice thing for the 2025 national player of the year, given any lingering effects from the ACL tear, is that she shouldn't have to shoulder the kind of offensive burden she did in her first two years.

As a true freshman, the 6'2" playmaker led Division I in usage rate (42.7 percent), per Sports Reference. That number dropped a bit but remained high (32.8 percent) in 2024-25.

Now, Watkins can play off Jazzy Davidson, who led the Trojans in the five main stat categories a season ago. Five-star recruit Saniyah Hall could make a big impact right out of the gate as well. She scored a team-high 23 points Sunday.

Watkins believes "there's no ceiling" to what USC can achieve and she might be right. The Trojans are third behind South Carolina and UConn in the preseason AP Top 25.

The team's talent extends well beyond Watkins, but she'll undoubtedly play a big role on whether a deep tournament run is in store this coming spring.