USC Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Trojans
By Andy Patton
Starting Lineup
The USC Trojans more or less have a set starting lineup heading into the 2020-2021 season. The Mobley brothers will shoulder the load in the frontcourt, while a pair of transfers will play on the wing and rising sophomore Ethan Anderson will once again handle the point guard duties.
While the Trojans do have a few other role players who could challenge for a starting spot during preseason practices, expect this to be the group coach Andy Enfield starts every game with this season.
Evan Mobley – Center
The No. 2 recruit in the class of 2020 – and the highest-rated recruit to ever join the Trojans, Evan Mobley is going to be must-watch television for the Trojans during the 2020-2021 campaign.
Overshadowed at times by Cade Cunningham, Mobley was once considered the biggest can’t miss prospect of this draft class – and the ceiling for this young man is legitimately an all-time great.
Much like his predecessor, 2019-2020 freshman phenom Onyeka Okongwu, Mobley is an agile big man who is expected to make an impact on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Playing alongside his older brother Isaiah in the frontcourt, look for Mobley to be among the most exciting players in the PAC-12 in 2020-2021.
Isaiah Mobley – Power Forward
Evan’s older brother Isaiah will step into a starting role after serving as an incredibly useful backup post as a freshman in 2019-2020, where he averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and one assist per night.
He didn’t shoot particularly efficiently, but if he can find his stroke from beyond the arc he will be a huge part of the offense this upcoming season.
Coach Andy Enfield and the Trojans are clearly banking on the Mobley brothers to lead this team, and how Isaiah performs in Year 2 will be a huge storyline to watch this season.
Isaiah White – Small Forward
Among the best players in the WAC in 2019-2020, 6’7 forward Isaiah White will take his talents to Southern California for the Trojans this season.
White averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last year with Utah Valley, proving to be an efficient scorer around the rim as well as an ability to get to the free throw line with regularity.
White won’t replicate his success in the stat sheet with the Trojans, but he expects to be a perfectly fine forward who can do a little bit of everything for coach Enfield in his senior season.
Noah Baumann – Shooting Guard
Baumann is a 6’6 combo guard who sat out last season after transferring from San Jose State, where he put up 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a starting guard his sophomore year.
Baumann is good at one thing; knocking down threes. He shot a pitiful 31.5% on two-point shots in 2018-2019, but a cold-blooded 45.5% from beyond the arc, averaging nearly six attempts per game.
Baumann won’t bring much on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s not much of a distributor or even a shot creator, but he can knock down treys all night long – which is exactly what the Trojans need in this offense.
Ethan Anderson – Point Guard
The reigns of this squad will once again fall in the hands of rising sophomore Ethan Anderson, who showed flashes of excellence marred with inconsistency and poor decision-making his first year with the Trojans in 2019-2020.
Anderson started 28 games last season, averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 37.8% from downtown and contributing plus defense – but also shooting 55% from the free throw line and turning the ball over 2.3 times per game.
He’ll need to take a second-year leap forward if he wants to help replenish the losses of Jonah Matthews and Elijah Weaver in the backcourt – the biggest area of weakness on this Trojans squad.