[1] Being called as the "steal" of the 2007 draft, he performed well during his rookie season as a scoring guard.
With the help of the then newly acquired Asi Taulava, they led the Tigers past the wildcard and faced the Alaska Aces in the quarterfinals where they lost 3-0.
Once again, they ended their run at the quarterfinals, this time at the hands of the Magnolia Beverage Masters.
At the end of the season, Buenafe was named to the All-Rookie Team and was among the contenders for Rookie of the Year.
Before the 2012–13 season, he got traded again, this time to the Meralco Bolts in exchange for its 2014 first-round draft pick and provide offensive firepower alongside the backcourt duo of Sol Mercado and Mark Cardona.