Over the next couple of weeks, Cardinal Sports will be watching film of Louisville’s 2020 recruiting class, as well as their 2021 and 2022 classes and targets, while breaking down their strengths and weaknesses. Fans will be able to get a more in-depth understanding of each player’s game and develop expectations for when they step on campus.

Starting off, let’s examine the game of 2020 in-state signee JJ Traynor out of Bardstown, KY. The 6-foot-8 four-star forward finished the year ranked 94th in the Rivals150.

Hands down, the best part of Traynor’s game is his ability to operate in the mid-range. While he started off rough in that department at the beginning of his senior year, he came on very strong towards the end of the season and arguably progressed more than the vast majority of high school prospects. Traynor, who already stands 6-foot-8, rising extremely — and I mean EXTREMELY— high on his jumper. His lift is incredible. He explodes off the ground and has fluid motion all the way through his hands at his release point.

Even if the defender is up in Traynor’s body, he’s still able to elevate faster and higher than his opponent, so it doesn’t faze him too much. I’ll go on record to say that during the last two months of the high school season, nobody in the entire country shot better from the mid-range than Traynor did. It was practically a lay up for him. That part of his game should translate to the college level without too much trouble once he gets the mental speed of the game down.

Traynor is an above average athlete who is still learning how to be aggressive in traffic. It’s not that he’s a “soft” player by any means, but rather that he understands the strengths and weaknesses of his game. As a high schooler, Traynor was rail thin and was more successful finessing around the defenders and finishing with scoop layups and fade-away turnaround jumpers. He was big enough to get to the rim against smaller defenders, but that wasn’t his strength against guys his size, who he would often go around.

Since being on campus, it’s rumored that Traynor has added 18 pounds of muscle. He can still dunk on a defender on occasion, and he showed that in high school, but don’t expect him to be delivering consistent posters early in his collegiate career. The added muscle will allow him to finish better through contact in the paint. He finishes well with either hand, but prefers to go right.

Because of a lack of strength, Traynor never got low post position too often. He would often post his man up in the mid-post and operate from there. He has a left-hand and a right-hand hook and can go to either. His incredible length allows him to contort his body in ways that a lot of players can’t. His go-to is the turnaround jumper and he can go over his left or right shoulder consistently with ease. It will hardly ever get blocked. He’s never going to be a bruiser, but he’s very capable of operating around the rim a couple of times per game.

Once again, we come back to Traynor’s length. He is able to contest shots just by raising his arms above his head. He has good timing and a good defensive basketball IQ. However, don’t expect him to be a paint enforcer. He’ll never lead the league in blocks, but expect some good secondary rim protection and weak side help from him in the post. His long frame allows him to be disruptive of both passes and shots. He bites on pump fakes a little too easily and he’ll have to clean that up before going against ACC big men.

I don’t know what Chris Mack will have planned for Traynor in year one, but he showed the ability to be a secondary ball-handler last year at Bardstown. Many times, he would get the rebound and go, bringing the ball into the half-court and sometimes even initiating up top. While I don’t expect that in Mack‘s system, he can at the very least be a relief valve for the guards when they get in trouble up top or in the backcourt.