Legacy Recruit JJ Traynor Becomes 3rd Member Of 2020 Louisville Men’s Basketball Class

There has been a ton of hand wringing among Card Nation as basketball recruiting has not gone the way many hoped it would. However, the trend is changing. Today, UofL Men’s Basketball picked up it’s 3rd commitment for the 2020 class. 4 Star F JJ Traynor chose the Cards.

C O M M I T T E D🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/kw6wIXEZEs

— JJ (@JJTraynor20) October 30, 2019

The Bardstown High senior chose to attend the Alma Mater of his father Jason Osborne. He looks a lot like him and his game is similar. Traynor is a late bloomer who picked up a ton of interest this summer from schools like Louisville and Kentucky. Louisville offered and the chance to play for the school his father had, a school rich in tradition and in the ACC, was too much for Traynor to pass up.

The 6’8 195 lbs F chose the Cards over offers from Cincinnati, WKU, Missouri, DePaul, and Xavier among others. There was also heavy interest from UK. Traynor is the 79th ranked player overall and the 14th ranked PF per 247sports composite rankings.

Traynor is still raw and working to improve his game. However, there is no denying his talent. Traynor is really long and bouncy. It makes him a dangerous shot blocker and a good rebounder, especially on the offensive end.

Offensively is where he has the most room to grow. He shows nice touch around the rim and he is developing his mid-range and three-point shot. He seems to be a little further along with the mid-range portion of his game. I love him crashing the offensive glass. For being so slender, he plays strong and is very good at anticipating the ball off the rim. With his length and leaping, Traynor gets putback dunks. Even though he doesn’t do it often, Traynor is capable of handling the ball. While you don’t want him handling it constantly, he is capable of grabbing a defensive rebound and bringing it up the floor himself.

Defensively, Traynor’s length is a problem for most offenses. It makes him a very good rim protector and it allows him to get into passing lanes to get steals. He has enough lateral quickness to guard the SF position and strength to guard a C position.

JJ Traynor is not going to be a day one starter, but he will most certainly be a contributor from day 1. The key word with him is potential. If he develops decently under Mack, as I think he will, Traynor can become a starter by his junior or senior year. If he develops fully, with the skills he possesses, the sky is the limit.

6’8 players with his length, his shooting touch, his nose for the ball rebounding, and his shot blocking can become great. That’s not mentioning his 3-point shooting and ball handling. Traynor is just the type of player Coach Chris Mack thrives with and he is a great pickup for the Cards.