Have the Kansas Jayhawks Found Their Next Thomas Robinson?

As the oh so wise duck test properly states: if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Kansas redshirt freshman Jamari Traylor may look like former Jayhawk and current Sacramento King Thomas Robinson, but head coach Bill Self isn’t ready to compare the two just yet.

“Thomas is an inch or two taller and outweighs him by 20 pounds. Other than that, they are just alike,” says Self, tongue in cheek. Self continued to tell KUSports.com that while he thinks Traylor is more explosive than Robinson, that’s about the only area he’s willing to give any credit to his unproven big.

Despite the students in Lawrence habitually confusing their new forward for the former, Self doesn’t think it’s fair to mention one in the same sentence with the other. As Robinson exploded onto the national scene as a sophomore, and was named to the NCAA All-American First Team as a junior, after a glorious high school career where he was one of the top 30 recruits in the nation, Traylor was the 30th best player at his position according to Scout.com, and has minimal experience playing at a high-level.

However, like Robinson, Traylor’s work ethic has impressed Self, he’s also a gutsy rebounder, and with a high motor and a propensity for spending as much time in the gym as possible, we could be rightfully discussing the two forwards sometime in the near future.

For the time being, Traylor has a lot to prove, like whether or not he deserves to be on the floor for the number-7 team in the country. “I can knock down open shots. I can also make plays for my team a lot better than I could last year. I like to think I have a feel for the ball. I’m getting a lot of loose balls and rebounds. I think that’s where I’ll contribute this year,” said a confident, yet anxious Traylor.

Sounds a bit like Robinson to me.

 

For hoops, hip-hop and other random sports and pop culture commentary, follow Jared Mintz on Twitter @JaredMintzTruth