How Tomislov Buljan, Pharrel Payne can anchor Maryland basketball's 2026-27 frontcourt

jmcconn3
Apr 19
2 min read

Maryland Men's Basketball Head Coach Buzz Williams is slated to have one of the most dangerous front-court rosters in the country with the addition of latest former New Mexico power forward Tomislav Buljan.

Buljan, averaged 13.1 ppg along with 10 reb. per game in 35 games for the Lobos this past season after playing basketball overseas in Croatia. Buljan also totaled 360 reb. on the season, having the sixth-most in college basketball last season. Along with his double-double average, Buljan shot a season average of 54% from the field and 30.8% from the three ball. Buljan was also ranked the fifth-highest offensive rebounding rate in the country according to KenPom at 17.6%.

Buljan will be playing alongside Pharrel Payne, Maryland's forward who only played 10 games after being sidelined with a season ending leg injury. Payne is still awaiting a medical redshirt waiver after his injury back in December, and will come back to a revamped Terrapins squad, currently ranked eighth in the country in recruitment rankings.

Payne, who averaged 17.5 ppg and 7.2 reb. per game matches up very well with Buljan. These two with their size can help replace Soloman Washington's absence in the rebounding category, who averaged 9.0 reb. per game and his team leading 230 total boards on the season. Maryland last season finished seventh in the B1G 10 for 35.4 reb. per game, now adding Buljan into that mix boosts their glass dominance even more for the next season.

Buljan and Payne could also be a threat when it comes to getting to the free-throw line. Payne when he played last season was great at drawing fouls and getting shots up at the line, where in the beginning of the season it was one of Maryland's only consistent ways of scoring. Payne shot 71.9% from the line on nearly 100 ft attempts (96) in just 10 games. Buljan while shooting a low 60.7% from the free-throw line, attempted 168 shots throughout the season. If Buljan can develop a consistent shot there and Payne continues to get there, it should be hard for teams to guard them down low.

With the daunting front-court roster that Williams has built this offseason, you could be looking at a lot of high-low ball action and pick-and-roll offense from Payne, Buljan and the guards up top. Buljan would likely sit at the high-post while Payne is sealing on this action. With Buljan's shooting, you could see him outside of the paint for those pick-and-roll options while still having Payne inside to clean up.

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