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| Team: Ohio State, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 5"
W: 185 lbs
Bday: 01/10/1990
(19 Years Old)
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Current: SG
NBA: SG
Possible: SG
| Rank 13 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 63 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 13
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High School: Libbey HS
Hometown: Toledo, OH
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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|  Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part One (#1-5)
August 28, 2009
Jonathan Givony
Former McDonald’s All-American William Buford took a little bit of time to hit his stride in his freshman season at Ohio State, but once he did, he displayed some intriguing flashes of potential that hint at some big things that could be in store for Buckeye fans.
Buford’s physical attributes are average for an NBA shooting guard, as he has just adequate size at around 6-5, to go along with a narrow frame, and solid, although not exceptional athleticism. The biggest virtue he brings to the table is his excellent scoring instincts, which currently manifest themselves primarily in the form of his perimeter shooting ability.
38% of Buford’s field goal attempts came from beyond the arc last season, of which he knocked down a very solid 36%. Buford has a beautiful shooting stroke, complete with a pretty follow through and excellent touch. He’s extremely advanced for his age at coming off screens—something Thad Matta liked to take advantage of—and is pretty deadly if he has a moment to set his feet.
Buford is also very capable of knocking down shots off the dribble, even if he could clearly stand to improve on his ability to create separation from his defender with his pull-up jumper, as his release is a bit on the slow side. His shot-selection at times leaves a bit to be desired as well. Watching some of the extremely difficult shots Buford made last season, though, there is no mistaking how talented a scorer he is.
As a slasher, Buford is not all that effective, as he possesses poor ball-handling skills and just an average first step. He rarely gets all the way to the basket (he shot just 53 free throws in 33 games last season, playing heavy minutes), and when he does, he seems to avoid contact, leaving you to wonder whether he may lack a bit of toughness. When he puts the ball on the floor, Buford will either pull-up off the dribble from 17-feet, or shoot a very pretty floater (a very nice weapon) in the lane. In the rare instance that Buford does get to the free throw line, he knocks his shots down at an extremely impressive rate—85%--good for second best amongst all freshman draft prospects last season.
Defensively, Buford puts a decent effort in, but doesn’t appear to have the best natural tools or fundamentals to get the job done. He does a decent job using his length to contest shots, but will get taken off the dribble a fair amount. Although Ohio State’s propensity to play zone almost exclusively makes it difficult to get a great read on Buford’s potential on this end of the floor, it seems safe to say that he has plenty of room to improve here.
At this juncture, Buford is a fairly one-dimensional shooter/scorer, which isn’t a huge shock considering the stage of development he’s currently at. He would be well served to continue to work on his all-around game, be it his ability to create shots for himself and others, his pick and roll game, his passing, and his defense. Although he came into Ohio State with a big-time pedigree, Buford is the type of player who could really benefit from sticking around college for a few seasons to become a more complete player. Right now he projects mostly as a backup, but he’s so young that it’s not out of the question at all to see him improve dramatically over the next few years.
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RBK U - Sunday Night Session
July 9, 2007
Lost in the Howell hype in game two was William Buford's (Toledo Libby/Toledo/2008 - committed to Ohio St.) performance. He matched Howell's total of 23 points and did it in a variety of ways including hitting 3-of-6 from deep. His shot mechanics are very good and he elevates on his shot very nicely making him very difficult to block. He looks be the next in a long line of successful shooting guards to go through Columbus following the footsteps of Jimmy Jackson, Michael Redd and Daequan Cook.
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2007 RBK Eurocamp: Day Two (Part Two)
June 12, 2007
One of the best players on the very young US squad, Buford showed some nice talent to put the ball in the basket, particularly displaying very intriguing shooting potential. He converted a number of jumpers with very good range, and sweet, fluid mechanics. He's an athletic guy, skinny but with a good enough frame to grow into his body, a very nice wingspan, and decent size (essentially putting all the ingredients together) to work in the shooting guard position. However, he will need to work hard on his ball-handling skills and off-the-dribble game, becoming a more creative player, as he looked pretty ineffective whenever he put the ball on the floor if it wasn't to shoot right after. Still, at age 16 there is a lot to look forward for in regards to his future at Ohio State.
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Pitt JamFest: Top 2008 Prospects
May 2, 2007
There was not a more productive player throughout the weekend then future Ohio State wing William Buford. He led his D-1 Greyhounds squad to the finals of the 17-U gold bracket, only to come up short to a surprising Grassroots Canada team. Buford showed off absolutely everything that you can ask for out of a scoring guard, as he shot the ball well from deep, displayed the ability to pull-up from mid range, and used his athleticism to finish at the rim once he got inside the paint. He showed off great form on his jumpshot and simply looked like a sophomore in college out there against aa group of 17 year old boys.
Buford is going to have the opportunity to step and contribute immediately for the Buckeyes with the impending departure of shooting guard Daequan Cook to the NBA and Ron Lewis’ graduation. He will certainly have to improve upon his defense in order to truly make himself an elite prospect as far as the NBA is concerned, but at the moment, there is not another shooting guard prospect in the class of 2008 that brings as much to the table as William Buford does.
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