USC guard Alijah Arenas appears on list of underclassmen who declared for 2026 NBA Draft

USC guard Alijah Arenas was on the list of 71 underclassmen who have entered the 2026 NBA Draft, released by the league on Monday afternoon. The talented Trojans star retained his eligibility and could still opt to return to school.

For now, though, Arenas will test the NBA Draft waters. He is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas.

During his freshman season at USC, Alijah Arenas missed the first 18 games due to injury. He then entered the lineup and would go on to start 13 of the 14 games that he appeared in.

He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after scoring a career-high 29 points against Illinois on Feb. 3 and then 24 points against Penn State on Feb. 8. The talent is undeniable for the 6-foot-6 guard.

Alijah Arenas finished his freshman season averaging 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He filled up the stat sheet on a nightly basis when he was out on the floor.

On3’s Jamie Shaw evaluates Alijah Arenas

On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw took an extensive look at Alijah Arenas in late February, analyzing whether he should enter the NBA Draft. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know which path Arenas opted for.

But what did the national expert have to say about the talented scorer? Let’s take a look:

With putting the ball in the basket, carrying some of the biggest value at the highest levels, it is easy to see why there is so much intrigue with Alijah Arenas. He is someone who is talked about currently as a first-round pick. However, there is a level of uncertainty around him that is preventing people — right now at least — from going all-in on him as a lottery guy, or more.

That is where the intrigue of an impending decision comes. There is a realistic pathway that if Arenas were to come back to college for the 2026-27 season, he could be talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick. Naturally, it is difficult to predict 16 months out; however, the assumption of health has to be made.

A full off-season could mean real physical development. The amount of quality strength he could add to his base and core. He would also have a freshman year under his belt and an off-season of workouts, and pick up with an understanding of the pace of play in the Big Ten.

In a vacuum, it makes a lot of sense. However, who is to say that a team in the backend of the 2026 Draft Lottery won’t see that Arenas could potentially be the No. 1 pick next year, and snag him with value this year? Then they could get him into their training program and into their workouts, and grow an understanding of their concepts.

He is not a finished product, but the upside is significant. There are a lot of natural traits in play that are very valuable at the highest level of the game.