For JuJu Watkins, the roar of the crowd was replaced by the silence of the rehab room—a battle she calls the ‘most challenging’ of her life.

The USC Trojans star recently opened up about her recovery journey during an appearance on the podcast A Touch More, hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird. Reflecting on the process, Watkins admitted that the road back from injury has been the toughest challenge she has faced so far.

“Honestly, this is the most challenging thing I’ve been through so far, and I’ve learned a lot about myself, so every day I’m just trying to get better,” she said.

However, through this unfortunate journey, the one thing that has helped her the most is basketball.

“Basically, the same thing with basketball. I’ve just applied it to weight training and rehab. So I’ve definitely put all of my energy into that. So it’s really just been like a transfer of energy into one thing. And now I’m finally able to play basketball again and shoot threes.”

JuJu Watkins further added, “I was under the basket for so long, so to finally be able to shoot a three. I’m like, Thank God. So it’s definitely been such a long process, and I’m like so kind of excited. I’m trying to pull myself back a little bit, just to stay a little more patient because it’s kind of starting to finally get to the end of everything. So yeah, just taking it day by day, but I’ve been in a good place.”

Watkins suffered a torn ACL that abruptly ended her 2024-25 season and forced her into a lengthy recovery process. While she was widely expected to lead the Trojans in her junior year, the injury proved significant enough that in September 2025, she announced she would sit out the entire 2025–26 NCAA season in order to focus fully on rehabilitation.

At the time, Watkins shared a heartfelt message with fans explaining the difficult decision.

“Recovering from this injury hasn’t been easy,” she said then. “I wanted you to hear it from me directly that, following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love.”

Before her exit, the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 23.9 points per game while leading USC to a Big Ten regular-season title and another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But this year, the Trojans have to navigate their season without their star.

How are the USC Trojans performing without JuJu Watkins on the roster?

Losing a player like Watkins was always going to force a reset for the Trojans. After the sophomore star went down, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb had little choice but to reshape the team’s identity.

Instead of leaning on a single superstar the way USC did last season, the Trojans adopted more of a next-woman-up mentality. Their offense became far more balanced, with several players stepping into larger roles to help fill the scoring void left by Watkins’ 23.9 points per game.

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson quickly emerged as one of the brightest spots. The highly touted recruit lived up to expectations throughout the season, averaging 17.6 points per game and earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors while becoming one of USC’s primary offensive weapons.

Alongside her, Kiki Iriafen took on a larger presence in the frontcourt, often drawing the defensive attention that Watkins once commanded.

The Trojans finished the regular season with a 17–13 overall record and a 9–9 mark in Big Ten play, which is definitely a step back from the program’s 30-win season a year ago, but still competitive enough to keep them firmly in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

While the season has looked different without their superstar, the experience has also given USC a chance to develop new leaders across the roster, something that could pay dividends once Watkins eventually makes her return.

For now, USC’s focus shifts to Selection Sunday after its conference tournament exit against the Washington Huskies. But as JuJu Watkins inches closer to a return, the Trojans know the story of their program is far from finished.