William Buford

William Buford

Buford's first professional season was not a good one. He was able to land a spot in Spain's ACB, very rare for an American rookie, but in 31 games for Obradoiro, Buford averaged only 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He scored 108 points on 136 shots, shooting 34% from two and 25% from three, in what was frankly a nothing year for him. Perhaps this summer league stint can be a springboard from which to restart his career.

Freshman point guard Craft is an incredibly mature and high IQ player for his age. He's a good ball handler who doesn't dribble into trouble, a good passer with strong court vision who doesn't throw it away often, a very good defender who has good hands, instincts and timing without committing a huge amount of fouls, and a capable shooter and finisher with very judicious shot selection for one so young. Craft is the team's only point guard, save for some pseudo point guard moments by Lighty and Buford. Buford is a natural scorer, and a good one, armed with two types of shot - the three pointer, and the right handed floaty hook thing from five feet out. His defense and decision making have improved over his career as a Buckeye, as has his scoring efficiency, now up to 47% from the floor (and helped in no small part by the talent around him). Buford does not look or take contact, is not a great athlete, nor is he much of a ball handler, yet he has developed into an efficient and increasingly reliable role player. There's more than a dribble of Wayne Ellington about him in terms of both his body type and style of play. And Wayne Ellington now plays in the NBA, so that must be interpreted as praise.