JuJu Watkins’ ACL tear was one of the worst twists of the 2024-25 college season. She went down with the injury during the second round of the NCAA tournament against Mississippi State during a Player-of-the-Year-worthy season. She missed the entire 2025-26 season to get healthy for what could be her final run with USC. Watkins can declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft and will more than likely be the number-one pick if she does.
Watkins got off to a good start with her first game back from injury. She dropped 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on UNLV. She followed that up with a 32-point, 16-rebound double-double against Utah State and finally dropped 20 points again against Charleston.
But all of those performances need to be taken with a grain of salt. None of USC’s first three opponents were a real match for Watkins and the Trojans. They blew out UNLV by 32 points and then won the other two games by 78 and 61 points, respectively. It will take a tougher opponent to see how ready Watkins truly is after missing an entire season…