USC secures commitment from Brunson-esque guard Patrick O’Brien

Any comparison isn't meant to be a direct one-on-one, like-for-like similarity. Instead, calling the latest USC commit and listing him as someone who could be compared to Jalen Brunson is to highlight many of the incoming guard's strengths.

Standing at 6'5", Patrick O’Brien is a capable shooter from the outside and is coming off a strong senior season at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, California. For his varsity team, as well as on the AAU circuit, he showed an ability to run the offense and ensure that he led the offense to score points.

As mentioned, he's capable of knocking down outside shots. O’Brien also does a good job of getting into the teeth of the defense, dishing to open teammates who are well-positioned to convert as well. 

Where the Brunson comp comes into play is in his footwork. Again, the New York Knick is one of the best backcourt players in the world who has come as close to mastering this aspect as anyone in the NBA.

O’Brien, too, though, has clearly worked on that part of his offense and can often find himself down low and work an open shot for himself or draw in a secondary defender in the paint, which then leads to a more open teammate.

Needed role for USC

In a Big Ten that can often see scoring droughts, coach Eric Musselman adding O’Brien makes sense. A lot of times, a team just needs to be able to turn to someone who can provide a spark. Especially off the bench, being able to lean on someone who can be depended on to score is invaluable.

Compound this need during BIG conference play, where offenses can easily face a rut on a nightly basis, and bringing O’Brien to the Trojan program only makes that much more sense from the USC staff.

While an early Brunson comparison may be too premature, allow his play to speak for itself. It may not be too long before others start seeing this similarity or one to a different NBA all-star.