Darren Buchanan Jr. Scouting Report
Toughness, physicality, and strength form the base of early impact-making on an NBA floor. Buchanan Jr. is one of the strongest underclassmen in college. But what's his NBA appeal? Find out below.
Introduction
After being a solid part of Team Durant in the EYBL circuit, Buchanan Jr. had a solid pre-college career to look back to. With many mid-major programs reaching out to him, he committed to Virginia Tech, where he redshirted his freshman year, before eventually landing at George Washington. While scoring over 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds on an efficient 54.6% from the field as a freshman, Buchanan Jr. put himself on the radar of NBA scouts.
His energy, consistent motor, and ability to guard up to four positions were unique selling points. With college basketball becoming older the path to playing time is more feasible at the lower levels, rather than playing in a power-five conference. That’s what led to him deciding to commit to Coach Caputo, which was an excellent decision.
His ability to get downhill and create advantages makes him a feared scorer. Mastering that craft while adding key and vital habits for the defensive end is the emphasis of this scouting report. His versatility and the aforementioned make him a unique prospect for the NBA.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-7, Buchanan Jr. has excellent wing size. He has broad shoulders, strong arms, and an incredibly well-filled frame. He’s listed at 235 pounds and looks ripped throughout his upper body. On top of that, he surprisingly has a good burst and acceleration. That helps him to switch from power to speed when he needs to.
His game is more styled toward power and finesse. Buchanan Jr. is a good athlete. He has good lateral quickness but lacks top speed. That’s not necessary in his position, as Buchanan Jr. uses his physicality well to unbalance opponents on both sides of the ball. He knows he’s strong and uses it to his advantage at all costs.
His speed, physicality, and toughness help him to generate paint touches. That’s the value he holds for the next level. The footwork being at a good level makes the physical tools even more intriguing for NBA scouts.
There’s no official wingspan measurement available. But looking closely, the rough estimate is that he has a wingspan close to seven feet, adding more value to his draft profile.
Offense
Catch-and-drive
Physicality and strength are how Buchanan Jr. creates his advantages. Despite being a sophomore, he looks much bigger and older than his peers. That makes it very feasible that he can be physical in the NBA at a young age. With more franchises being hesitant to put the ball in a young player’s hands, playing within the flow of the offense and making plays out of closeouts is one of the ways for Buchanan Jr. to get buckets at the next level.
In the first possession below, he pivots strongly before catching the ball and immediately puts his head forward to attack the defender’s chest to create separation. Despite his big body, he has decent bursts and good acceleration. The strength advantage helps him to almost guarantee defenders losing their balance against him, which makes it easier for Buchanan Jr. to get downhill without elite speed.
The second play shows Buchanan Jr. asking for the ball screen, whereafter he rejects it and attacks the straight-line drive on the weak side instead. Upon getting two feet in the paint, help defense arrives, and leads to him landing his last step before the layup finish. The footwork was decent but didn’t create enough balance, whereafter Buchanan Jr. had to push his finish, and that’s not his strength at the moment. Looking at the physical attributes, his 61.1% rim-finishing without dunks as a freshman looks underwhelming. On top of that, the numbers have gone down so far this season.
Despite the strength advantage, the opposing scouting report is easy to predict: doubling once he drives into the lane. In the third play below, Buchanan Jr. throws his physicality in the mix but doesn’t count on the help defender on the spin, losing the ball in a sloppy turnover. However, it still takes great defense to take him out of the game. In the fourth play, he shows his offensive creativity by changing his scoring hand in a live-dribble action, eliminating the defender trying to push Buchanan Jr. to the strong side.
The area of development for Buchanan Jr. is not always pushing his way into the paint. In the fifth play below, he had the wide-open midrange jumper available but went for the contested one-dribble floater instead.
Catch-and-shoot
While shooting 12.5% on less than two attempts per game, Buchanan Jr. is still developing a reliable jumper. Therefore, especially with the small sample size, the numbers have very little value. In an NBA game emphasizing floor-spacing and shooting, the ability to get downhill could lose some value if Buchanan Jr. doesn’t develop an average jumper for the next level. He does most of his damage inside the arc, and that’s the value he holds for his professional career. However, his downhill drives need to be respected more if he wants to create space for his teammates in the future.
Despite the low amount of attempts, the form and release are consistent. However, Buchanan Jr. is slow to set his feet and bend his knees. Once he elevates for his jumper, things look more fluid, but for a faster-paced NBA, his jumper is too slow to make average numbers feasible. That puts pressure on a team’s offensive rating with him on the floor.
In the first play below the opponents leave Buchanan Jr. open near the elbows. He takes advantage, but the slow jumper is on display. The second play is an interesting one as well. When looking closely, he’s already releasing his shot before getting fully up on the jump. He shoots a tad too early to fully follow through with his shot.
The coordination between his feet and shooting arm also needs work. In the third play below, Buchanan Jr. does well to relocate with one step before the catch, but he’s already entering his shooting motion before fully balancing his body, which leads to a lack of accuracy. He also tends to move his feet after the catch. In the fourth play below, Buchanan Jr. should have set his feet kept the same location, and not jumped up before jumping again for the three-point attempt.
Regardless, Buchanan Jr.’s rim pressure makes him one of the best scoring options in mid-major basketball. However, for his potential NBA future, investing in his jumper is a necessity. Therefore, NBA decision-makers must make his shooting a vital part of his developmental plan.
Post-ups
With the physical tools and plus-size, NBA teams will be keen on using Buchanan Jr. as an option in the post. His ability to create advantages is essential in increasing a team’s chances of successfully making the offensive rating better when playing in smaller shooting-heavy lineups. It’s common to see strong wing-sized players being used as smaller fours and fives due to a lack of personnel. However, with Buchanan Jr., that’s the versatility his physicality and toughness allow him to play with. That’s a value-riser for his NBA draft stock.
Buchanan Jr. combines his strength with good footwork and craft. He’s quick to throw in his body, mostly thanks to his excellent hip fluidity. In the first play below, he keeps his passing gravity alive by waiting for the help defense to arrive, whereafter he recognizes his scoring angle and goes under for the crafty finish. In the second play, he’s exploiting the mismatch, creating an easy paint touch with both feet. Despite his forcing the finish, that’s the type of advantage creation every NBA franchise looks for.
The third possession is interesting, making it clear that Buchanan Jr. has to work on his shot selection. If you’re as physical and tough as he is, settling for a fadeaway midrange jumper is only bailing the defense out. Considering that he’s not an average shooter, it takes away more offensive value. Despite a lack of cutting from his teammates on the play, Buchanan Jr. had to either throw his body in to lure the foul or kick the ball out earlier with five or six seconds left. After averaging close to 7 free-throw attempts as a freshman, that number goes up in his sophomore season. Therefore, putting teams in foul trouble with his physicality should remain a focus.
Passing
With 69 assists to 65 turnovers in his freshman season, the numbers give a positive first sign. However, for Buchanan Jr., the focus should be to involve his teammates more in his advantage creation. Whether it’s him getting downhill by attacking closeouts or showing his magic in post-ups, the emphasis on floor-spacing should make it easier for Buchanan Jr. to blossom as a passer at the next level.
One of the first habits he needs to develop is to pass the ball ahead in transition. In the first play below, Buchanan Jr. takes the ball cross-court himself whereafter he’s lucky to find an open three at the elbows, as the opposing team’s defense is already settled. If he passes the ball ahead, his team can push the pace and try to outrun opponents, making it a closer game.
In the second possession, Buchanan Jr. gets downhill, but instead of attacking the rack, he picks up his dribble and is yet again bailed out by an incoming shooter near the bottom elbow. His decision-making with the ball in his hands is a vital part of his development. Therefore, mastering his physical tools and forcing his way downhill is his path to success. That’s what makes him a more efficient and offensive rating-friendly weapon.
The flashes to reach that level are clear. In the third play below he shows excellent court vision after the baseline out-of-bounds play whereafter he immediately kicks the ball out with a bullet pass despite being out of balance. That’s a sign of how real his strength is. He’s also crafty with his hands. In the fourth play below, he gets downhill and needs a split-second to recognize the corner shooting, again delivering the pass while out of balance.
He’s also flirting with recognizing the power of his gravity as a paint-touch generator. In the last play below, he keeps help defenders focused on what he’ll do next, allowing cutters to find good angles and positions to score. Buchanan Jr. executing his read by finding the elbow shooter was a good outcome.
Defense
Catch-and-drive
For the NBA, Buchanan’s size and strong build open the path for him to defend multiple positions. He’s one of the rare prospects who can defend up to four positions, as his footwork and quickness allow Buchanan Jr. to face guards, while his strength and physicality match up well with opposing wings. To finalize his versatility, he can defend against stronger and taller forwards in smaller lineups due to his ability to put opponents out of balance.
Despite the made basket in the first possession below, Buchanan Jr. shows an excellent last step, pivoting his left foot well before elevating to contest the shot. That’s the base to be an effective closeout defender at the next level. In the second play, he’s too modest and reactive to the player’s angle creation.
Where Buchanan Jr. is explosive on the offensive end, he’s reacting too much while he’s defending. With 2.2 personal fouls in 29 games as a freshman, he shows he can play within control. Therefore, he’s in a position to take more risks when he has to be physical, and to put a scorer out of balance. For the NBA, the most essential value he holds for a team’s defensive rating is the ease of how he can unbalance his defenders. Therefore, being more demanding and forcing offensive players to beat him off the dribble early should be the mindset.
However, he has to get rid of his habit of overhelping on the defensive end. In the third play below, the dribble penetration doesn’t reach the interior before Buchanan Jr. rotates to help in the middle. With his team crowding the interior, that wasn’t the best decision. Especially considering the confusion in what his next assignment was after the offensive player still got downhill. On top of that, his positioning doesn’t always lead to Buchanan Jr. controlling his assignment. In the last play below, he guards the weak side, but his assignment easily backdoor cuts, as Buchanan Jr. dropped too deep into the interior, opening up the possibility for the high entry pass.
Catch-and-shoot
When defending against spot-up shooters, we see Buchanan Jr. again showing signs of overhelping early. However, on the perimeter, he is much better at establishing his positioning while putting himself 180 degrees in front of his assignment. In the first play below, Buchanan Jr. stops dribble penetration, forcing the side pass, whereafter he shows his fluid hips to return to his assignment and put the hand in the shooter’s face.
In the second possession below, the confusion in the rotation shows how raw he still is. Buchanan Jr. doesn’t recognize his teammate playing drop coverage, which should have been the sign to not take the switch and stick with his rotation. Especially considering the ball handler was in a tough position as the offense dried out, and the rotation bailed the opposing team out. Therefore, more reps in playing minutes is essential to help Buchanan Jr. develop a better feel for the game and recognize when he should switch.
The third play below shows flashes of him doing that. He’s switching to play as a five with one foot in the paint while taking on the big man in the rotation. After seeing the ball reversal happen, Buchanan Jr. uses the tag to move to the corner and immediately positions himself 180 degrees from his assignment before the catch. His excellent positioning made contesting the shot much easier. The development of the aforementioned is easier when Buchanan Jr. gets rid of his ball-watching. In the last play below, his assignment sneaked to the corner, with Buchanan Jr. too much focused on what the ball handler was doing. On top of that, he helped immediately, making the distance to cover the corner too much to overcome.
For NBA decision-makers, investing in Buchanan Jr.’s recognition of switches is vital for his development. Looking at his footwork and last step, the versatility to guard ball handlers and strong interior wings make him a fairly unique prospect on the defensive side of the ball.
Pick-and-roll
In a switch-heavy NBA game, multiple positions need to be held in the pick-and-roll nowadays. Considering the strong last step and good footwork, that’s an area where Buchanan Jr. can develop a niche skill. It’s seldom to see physical big-bodied wings thrive as pick-and-roll defenders. Despite the rawness of his profile, the ability to overcome ball screens and stop advantage-creation on the perimeter is a value-riser he potentially has for an NBA team’s defensive rating.
However, he’s too modest and reactionary to what ball handlers do. That makes him vulnerable to being shaken out of balance. In the first play, the hesitation move locks Buchanan Jr. as he runs into the ball screen, opening up a wide-open driving lane on the weak side. Considering his physicality, he had to crash the defensive glass and box out for the rebound. However, he jogged back and watched the outcome of the play. That’s bad body language and not using his physical tools. He averaged 6.6 rebounds per game as a freshman and looking back to his positions, that should have been more if he boxed out hard on each play.
As a defender, Buchanan Jr. is not aggressive enough to fully cash in on his potential screen navigation. In the second play, he sees the ball screen coming, and therefore, he has to dive in and position himself between the ball handler and the scorer. Even if the ball handler goes by him, he had his defense pack the interior, with his big man able to switch to the guard to help Buchanan Jr. establish positioning. In the third play below, Buchanan Jr. gets again bothered by the ball screen, while showing reactionary defense. The lack of aggressiveness doesn’t help a team’s defensive rating despite his heavy physical advantage against opposing ones, twos, and threes.
He’s much more comfortable in the second line of defense. In the last play below, Buchanan Jr. recognizes the rotation and sees the ball screen come in from much further away. He positioned himself decently, going underneath the screen while using his length to contest the off-the-dribble three from above the break.
Cutters
The lack of defense in the pick-and-roll puts more weight on his defense away from the ball. In a motion-based NBA offense, there’s active cutting on each play and from each position. NBA coaching staff are continuously working on countering schemes they expect to be run by opponents. Therefore, understanding and recognizing rotations and seeing incoming screeners is essential to not put too much pressure on a team’s defensive rating early on in his career.
In the first play, Buchanan Jr. gets the deflection, and after two bodies hit the deck for the loose ball, he’s staring at the ball, leading to his assignment cutting to the rack while Buchanan Jr. is busy positioning himself for the ball potentially rolling his way. In the second play, he’s ball-watching. To make things worse, he stays passive as his next rotation already relocated to the corner to bank on a potential wide-open three. On top of that, the lack of boxing out on the play should make it clear to NBA decision-makers that Buchanan Jr. still needs at least another year of college basketball to develop.
The third play makes clear what’s the issue. Buchanan Jr. often shows the body language of giving up on a play. Despite the ball going in there, seconds before the finish, the level of effort dropped, as the opposing team already found the advantage inside the arc. That’s a mindset he has to change to fully bank on his defensive potential mostly driven by his top-tier physical tools.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Darren Buchanan Jr. to be a potential top-20 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His productivity as an underclassman at the mid-major level puts him on the radar of every NBA scout out there.
On top of the earlier-mentioned body language and effort level not being consistent, Buchanan Jr. has to work on his overall defense. Recognizing rotations and reducing his ball-watching should immediately impact his overall defensive performance.
On the offensive end, the opportunities for Buchanan Jr. to be productive out of closeouts and post-ups are intriguing. With this passing gravity and great court vision, it compensates for the lack of defensive value.
Regardless, Buchanan Jr. is a clear candidate to be selected for the All A-10 First Team this season. The production and defensive improvements could lead him to test the waters in the summer. However, in today’s NIL era, it’s safer for prospects to stay in school and get their degree while improving their game for the next level.
The physicality, toughness, and overall physical tools make him a first-round prospect. If the production matches while showing better defensive value as a junior, the path to being a top-20 pick is wide-open for Buchanan Jr.
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