People are sleeping on Louisville basketball freshman JJ Traynor

Incoming freshman JJ Traynor is one of the nation’s top 100 recruits, but he may be one of Louisville basketball‘s best-kept secrets.

Louisville basketball fans are beginning to become accustomed to the way of life with Chris Mack at the helm. In doing so, those around the program are cautiously optimistic in regards to what’s in store during the 2020-21 season.

The Cardinals saw highs and lows in year two under Mack, but the season will go down as a wash after the complications of a worldwide pandemic ended things just as the postseason was getting started.

What Louisville fans can certainly look forward to in year three under Mack is that he finally has a team full of “his guys.” The only holdover from the previous tenure is senior Malik Williams, while every other player was recruited by the current coaching staff.

So, while Louisville lost the vast majority of its scoring and rebounding from a season ago, what fans get to look forward to is true Chris Mack basketball. This team has his DNA all over it. They are long, bulky, physical, and extremely offensively gifted.

One of the players that could step into a major role very early on is incoming true freshman JJ Traynor. The 6’9″(ish), 185 pound forward from Bardstown is perhaps most well known as the son of former Cardinal and Male Bulldog Jason Osborne.

However, most Cards fans really don’t know much about Traynor’s game, or what he brings to the table next season.

On Wednesday, we asked Louisville fans to rank the team members that will likely be role players in 2020-21 from who will play the most minutes to who will play the least. The answers varied from person to person. However, there was one surprising commonality between the answers.

17 out of 25 people who gave a full ranking placed Traynor dead last.

Many believed that forwards Quinn Slazinski and Jae’Lyn Withers would see the most playing time along with returnees Josh Nickelberry and Aidan Igiehon, but it was a near consensus that Traynor isn’t ready for the big stage yet. Some commented that Traynor will redshirt or needs to put on weight.

But, what if Traynor is ready? Many thought that the versatile forward could be an instant-impact guy at Kentucky before the Wildcats began recruiting over him in the 2020 class. Then the praise came much less frequently, as often happens when in-state players become Louisville leans.

So, what exactly are the Cards getting out of Traynor then? Former Louisville Cardinal and Bardstown High School head coach James Boo Brewer seems to think he is being massively overlooked as a player and competitor on the court.

A competitor

First, Traynor is a blue-collar competitor who has taken his work ethic to another level under Brewer at Bardstown. On Middays with Marques Maybin on Wednesday, Brewer was told that the consensus on Traynor is that he is a late-bloomer who may not be ready to contribute right away,

"“He wants to contribute,” Brewer said adamantly. “He’s going to work his tail off to get where he wants to get. In the last 10 months, I’ve seen a hunger in this young man’s eyes. His hunger is unbelievable.”"

That sounds a lot like the attitude you’ll notice when you watch Traynor’s recent tapes. He stands out as the best player on the floor, but he doesn’t just use his size to his advantage against smaller players and hang in the post. Traynor runs the court extremely well, and he plays with a motor you won’t often find when you can just outsize the opponent.

An ever-evolving game

Rumors have been swirling about Traynor having a growth spurt over the last few months and actually standing closer to 6’10,” instead of his listed height of 6’8.”

Still, Traynor and those who know him well are insistent that he is closer to a wingman than a four who can fill in at the five, a la Ray Spalding.

Although Traynor has the size to play around the basket, he really thrives as a spot-up shooter and a guy who can get his own in the mid-range. He excels at patiently getting to his spots- something that Brewer mentioned he has worked tirelessly at- and consistently getting defenders to bite on shot fakes and drawing fouls.

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Traynor’s game continues to improve from beyond the arc, he has above average handles for his size, and his passing is beginning to look more and more like his father, who averaged 3.6 dimes a game at Louisville from 1993-95.

Though he is doubted, Brewer feels like Traynor not only will be able to carve out some minutes in Louisville’s rotation in 2020-21 but that he is a dark horse to crack the starting lineup.

"“I look around Twitter and social media, and everybody has their starting five, and everybody has who they want. Do not count this kid out. Do not count this kid out, I’m telling you there’s something in him that’s unbelievable, that’s something special.”"

Some former Cardinals feel like there’s more than what meets the eye for Traynor, and if he can be an instant impact player as a true freshman, Louisville basketball could be in a good position come next March.

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