A hotly contested debate over the past few seasons has been the gap in quality between the Championship and Premier League.
Over the previous two campaigns, the same teams that were promoted to the top division were then relegated back down again - meaning those clubs have had an extra year of improved finances and, in theory, better squads.
Some argue that this has caused other clubs in the second tier to struggle to compete with those who have touched Premier League riches, although Buckley suggested that it was 'difficult' to say if the quality had improved that much.
"It’s difficult to say if the quality has improved that much personally," Buckley told Flashscore.
"There are unbelievable teams now and it's probably a bit more open this season as well.
"But I remember four or five years ago and some teams were incredible and it was difficult to play against them."
Buckley featured 170 times for Blackburn Rovers across seven seasons in the senior team (as well as 13 appearances on loan at Sheffield Wednesday), notching 160 games in the Championship overall.
The Englishman fully broke into the first team in the 2019/20 campaign when Leeds, Brentford, Fulham and Nottingham Forest all featured in the top seven - with each of those clubs now in the Premier League.
The following season saw Norwich drop down and immediately win the league again, with Fulham and Bournemouth gaining promotion in 2021/22 straight after being relegated the year prior.
Buckley revealed that those clubs often present a more enjoyable challenge and their styles of football could bring out better performances.
"I feel like I perform better against them teams, the teams that have come down, the better ‘footballing’ teams," he said.
"I feel like it suits me. I've always felt like we can beat this team today, or we can compete. It's difficult because some players have a bit of magic, you could say.
"But yeah, I always preferred playing the Bournemouths, Leeds, Norwich when they were coming up and down, I always preferred playing them teams."
As Buckley referenced, those teams sometimes had players with 'a bit of magic'.
During the midfielder's tenure in the Championship, Teemu Pukki, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Chuba Akpom, Crysencio Summerville and Gustavo Hamer were named the league's Player of the Season.
Three of those (Watkins, Buendia and Summerville) play in the Premier League today, with Mitrovic enjoying success in the top flight before moving to Saudi Arabia - while the Young Player of the Season alumni from that time period also features Jude Bellingham, Michael Olise and Brennan Johnson.
Another player to shine during Buckley's earlier years in the Championship was Brazilian forward Matheus Pereira, who excelled for West Brom - a team that particularly stuck out for the former Blackburn man.
"I think it's (the Championship) just changed because, four or five years ago, there were some really big players in the Championship, probably bigger names than there are now.
"I remember playing West Brom, I think it was under Slaven Bilic, and they had Matheus Pereira, players like that.
"That was probably one of the best teams I've played, compared to teams recently."
Buckley now plies his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Kholood, where he has started strongly with two goals in five games.