However, last season, he spent most of his time in the paint, often fighting and scrapping with guys who were taller and stronger than him. At the time, he weighed 200 pounds.
The 2009 version of Samuels is a stronger, more versatile player. He has added 20 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame this offseason, something he credits to K-State strength coach Scott Greenawalt. Because of that, he feels he's ready for the move out to the perimeter.
"I'm starting to get into contact and scoring the ball," he explained.
The move is one Samuels longed to make, but one K-State coach Frank Martin was hesitant to pull the trigger on last season.
"He's trying to learn something brand new, he never did that last year," Martin said. "He wasn't prepared how to do it, didn't understand how to do it, wasn't committed to working as hard as he needed to work to make that transition.
"Well he did that this offseason. He grew in that department. He showed me the commitment to grow, to work at it. I've given him the opportunity and he's taken advantage of it."
Samuels approached Martin this spring about making the switch, but once again, the K-State coach was reluctant.
"I told him I wanted to move to the three, and he's like 'no way,'" Samuels said. "But this summer I started showing more and more that I could play the three."
The move won't come without its challenges. Samuels, who shot .51 percent from the floor last season en route to averaging 8.3 points per game, will have to increase his ability to shoot from the perimeter, something he said has already begun to happen.
"I'm starting to shoot the ball very well, and if you (reporters) don't believe me, you can ask Frank," he said with a smile. "In one practice I hit like six 3s in a row in a drill and I got praised for it and I finally said 'it's about time.'
"I've been taking a lot of 3s in practice. I love the 3."
Samuels has been working frequently in practice against K-State's best defender, Dominique Sutton, something he said has benefited him.
"I think Frank did that on purpose," Samuels said. "He's the toughest defender I've ever faced in my life and I've had a lot of great guys guard me."
Sutton said he has noticed a change in his teammates' game.
"Jamar actually came in this summer and put the time in the gym and he's actually worked on his shot," Sutton said. "Now you have to respect his shot a lot more, he's got a lot more confidence now, he knows what he can do.
"These last two weeks in practice he's been making me work a little bit in practice, guarding him in different types of ways."
Unlike last year, Samuels may be guarded by players smaller than him on the wing. While he may have a size advantage at times, he will also be forced to go up against guys who are at times quicker. In many ways, it can be a double-edged sword.
"We're so attack-oriented — there's a huge emphasis on guarding the basketball," Martin said. "We're gonna get spread out defensively and we're okay with that, but those rotations become a little more difficult when you're a perimeter defender than when you're an inside player because you've got more ground to cover."
Martin said Samuels will still spend some time in the paint, calling him a "hybrid forward," adding he is pleased with how his 220-pound forward has matured both on and off the court in the transition.
"He wants to win, and when you see guys who want to win, it makes you as a coach — it gives you the comfort level that he's gonna be willing to grow and that's what he's shown us here in this offseason," Martin said.
"Now his challenge is when the game starts and there's people in the stands and there's a team with another uniform and officials out there — to stay disciplined and mentally strong enough, which is what maturity brings to you. "To stay the course and not lose your mind because something doesn't go your way.
"He's making that transition, and he's doing fairly well at it for this point of the year."
