Case File No. 20: Juju Watkins

Judea "Juju" Watkins. Photo Credit: Leon Neuschwander.

Today's case file is on 5-star recruit and USC commit Judea "Juju" Watkins, who already looks nearly WNBA ready. Before I continue, visit rdxsports.com and become a part of Team RDX. Get the latest on martial arts and fitness gear at a 10% discount.

Position: Guard

HT: 6-2

College: USC

Class: Freshman

Credentials:

Gatorade National Player of the Year (2023)

Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2023)

2x California Ms. Basketball (2022, 2023)

Strengths:

-Two-way player

-Exceptional shooter and scorer

-Can create her own shot, shoot off the dribble, and drive to the basket--she favors the two-step

-Has expanded range on her shot

-Handles the ball well, able to weave through traffic

-Strong rebounder, hustles to get her own rebound if she misses

-Will pass if she sees an open player

Weaknesses:

-Looked lackadaisical when contesting shots at times

-Would like to see her facilitate more

Final Analysis:

Juju enters the college ranks as a two-way player, and I hope she continues to commit on both sides of the ball. She can create her own shot and score in multiple ways, whether it be off the dribble, driving to the basket or using picks. She's an exceptional rebounder for her position (she averaged 10 or more boards her last three years in high school).

Defensively, I've seen her rotating, helping her teammates, and she helped protect the rim (1.8 blocks last season). I'm not sure if she will average that many blocks at the college level, but that's very impressive for a guard.

I did see moments where she looked lackadaisical when contesting shots. In other words, there were times where the opponent scored on her too easily, whereas that might not have been the case if she contested the shot.

She is a good passer when she decides to pass, and I would like to see her do that more without compromising her offense.

It's easy to see why Juju was considered the No.1 recruit in her class, and why she won top player of the year awards. I'm not sure how long she intends to stay at USC because she nearly looks like WNBA material, however, I think the college level will sharpen her skills and make her better than she already is.

She's listed as a combo guard, and while she has the handle to play the point, she's more of a shooting guard, seeing that she looks for her shot more often. From my understanding, it has been stated that this is an area she wants to work on, so that's commendable.

If she continues to hone her skills and make improvements in certain areas, which aren't many flaws from what I've seen, she will undoubtedly be a lottery pick whenever she enters theWNBA draft.