Fixing the Trojans' subpar defense may start with James

It was one moment of beautiful synergy that left as quickly as it came, a singular possession that set the stage for a few minutes of the best defensive effort USC had shown all season.

Down six at Galen Center late in the first half Wednesday, after halfcourt probing collapsed the Trojans' defense, the Cal Golden Bears whipped the ball around the perimeter in a desperate hunt for an open man. Once. Twice. Three times. It was a desperate race against the sliding feet of Trojans defenders, a testament to the saying “ball moves faster than the man.”

Except USC rotated as one, a hive mind finally in sync, a testament to the elite Pac-12 defenses built under Andy Enfield of years past. And after no open shooter was found, Cal's Gus Larson finally drove and steamrolled right into the collapsing body of Kobe Johnson, drawing a charge in a possession that electrified USC's bench. It could've served as a play-by-play guide on how to defend a modern collegiate basketball offense — and it spurred USC to close the half in a swarm, contesting and trapping with a fury like this group hadn't quite before shown.

But it was fleeting. Too fleeting. And an afternoon later, Enfield sat in his office in USC ball cap and jacket, telling it exactly like it was.

“Our team is not as good defensively this year,” Enfield told the Southern California News Group, “as it has been the last four years. And so — it's frustrating at times.”

With every glimmer of defensive hope has come collapse. USC nearly handed an eventual 82-74 win away on a silver platter, all sense of urgency vanishing in the second half Wednesday, perimeter defenders too often caught in no-man's-land as Cal splashed a barrage of 3s. For all USC's offensive issues with ball control and

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shot-making, their defense has been this team's greatest struggle in a 7-7 start, Enfield said. As of Friday afternoon, they ranked 269th of 362 Division I teams in opponent points per game and second-to-last in the Pac-12 in defensive rating.

On paper, there's a good defensive unit here. Johnson and center Joshua Morgan are all-conference-level defenders. Bronny James might already be USC's best one-on-one cover on the perimeter. Isaiah Collier has the size (6-5, 210) to switch across a variety of positions.

But USC's defensive depth is lacking, and improvement is needed from a variety of areas — improvement that is staunchly influencing Enfield's lineup decisions. After five games of starting energetic sophomore Vincent Iwuchukwu at center, Enfield turned back to Morgan on Wednesday, citing he was “playing the best defender.”

And USC is in a particularly difficult position with its backcourt, relying on Boogie Ellis and Collier to generate a majority of its offense but stuck with the reality that both struggle with their own defensive limitations (Ellis with size, Collier with effort and attentiveness at the point of attack).

The solution may lie with James, who has seized Enfield's trust so rapidly that he's frequently been tabbed to close games despite having a month of collegiate hoops under his belt. James is still on a minutes restriction in recovery from heart surgery, a restriction Enfield called “week-to-week,” and it's unlikely he'd ever move into a starting spot ahead of Ellis or Collier. But 25-plus minutes a night from James would help offset defensive limitations elsewhere on the floor.

“He's a key part right now ... we anticipate Bronny finishing a lot of games defensively for us,” Enfield said.