Brew Hoop Season Review: Tony Snell, Rashad Vaughn, Jason Terry

Yesterday we went through how the Bucks crop of point guards performed this season. Today the staff digs deep into the shooting guard position, looking at the emergence of Tony Snell, the delight of Jason Terry and a still puzzling Rashad Vaughn.

Tony Snell

Synopsis:

Snell’s arrival in Milwaukee came with the exodus of an oft-punching bag for Bucks fans in Michael Carter-Williams. Simply by virtue of who he was replacing, it wouldn’t have been tough for Snell to look good in fans’ eyes. However, Snell did far more than that, putting up a career year in terms of production and three-point percentage. Milwaukee asked him to do two things: defend and shoot threes. He did both in spades this year, usually drawing the other team’s best wing player on defense. His quick foot speed and defensive tools crested with his performance in the Bucks’ win against Russell Westbrook, but Snell was a key defensive contributor all season long.

His career-best 40.4% from three put him 15th in the league among guys who attempted at least four threes per game. It also came on 4.4 attempts per game, nearly double his 2.4 he averaged last year with Chicago. He still can’t really create off the dribble, but flashed a few monster dunks driving to the hoop. Whether this was just a career year is a viable question, but at the very least, Snell finally became the 3-and-D wing he was supposed to be coming out of school. Thanks Bulls!

Adam: Snell’s early season shooting slump cooled me on his prospects, but even if he reverts to a 37% shooter, his willingness to shoot was as important as the percentage. His defensive metrics aren’t great (he’s ranked 52nd in DRPM on ESPN among shooting guards), but that same statistic has Jason Terry ranked tenth so take it with a heart attack level of salt. His quick defensive feet and length were a welcome addition as a defender, particularly against lead ball handlers.

Mitchell: Talk about a turnaround. Snell had a lukewarm reception in the aftermath of the MCW trade (no, not that one), and his preseason ankle injury and early shooting woes further lowered fans’ expectations. Boy, how far Tony Snell came from that point. We explored his considerable improvements a few weeks ago, and while nobody wants to overpay him, few Bucks fans want anything but for Snell to return in 2017-18.

Gabe: I was sort of expecting Snell to bounce back after he was dealt to Milwaukee. You’ll have to take my word for it, because I don’t think there’s any proof of me tweeting it out or anything, but you get my point. It was just one of those change of scenery trade examples. We can talk all we want about the presence he establishes on the offensive side of the ball, but his defense is equally (probably more) impressive to me. He’ll have those games where he just puts his opponent in clamps and doesn’t let them get by with his alien-esque arms. He’s going to be getting a fat paycheck this summer, and by golly does he deserve it.

Riley: Snell's fit obviously depends on what he can get on the market as a restricted free agent. The league has another glut of cap space waiting to be spent, though I'm sure the Bucks will match most offers. Leaves me a little leery, but Snell won me over as a fan this past year.

Dylan: Snell was one of those players I would always forget was on the court because he seemed to be doing the non-flashy yeoman’s work on both ends. The rest of the team appreciated his role and talked him up in the media at times. We’ll see what the numbers will be, but Snell was a perfect fit and he loves to hit that sneaky trailer three.

Jason Terry

Synopsis:

We knew Jason Terry would bring plenty of good quotes to Milwaukee, but the question of whether he could be a meaningful contributor felt up in the air when he signed for the veteran minimum. JET answered that query loudly with his quiet, purposeful stints whenever he was on the floor. He nailed the 3-point jumpers they asked him to take (42.7%), had a team-low usage rate and Milwaukee always seemed to play better when he was on the floor.

His penchant for moving the ball helped an oftentimes stagnant Bucks offense, and his veteran voice seemed genuinely meaningful rather than a staid talking point. Terry’s outsized celebrations lit up the BMO, and it’s hard to measure his oncourt impact without mentioning what he meant to this squad off the hardwood.

Adam: He was forced to play for too long at stretches, particularly in some fourth quarters, but he provided a leadership and affable quality (not to mention hitting his threes) that this team needed. He also rarely wasted any motion while on the court, constantly cutting or driving to get the ball where it needed to go.

Mitchell: JET can stay a Milwaukee Buck until he can’t unfurl his celebratory wings anymore, and even then I still want him involved. He’s too dang fun to not want him on the bench, around all of Milwaukee’s young players, passing along words of wisdom and daps of encouragement. It helps that he can still shoot, too.

Gabe: For those who follow me on Twitter, you might recall the way in which I address Jason Terry. I always say not only is he a professional basketball player; he is a professional entertainer. He’s a great presence on the court and in the locker room with his veteran leadership. Then, when he is out on the floor and connects from deep, we all know what transpires next. A simple gesture of outstretched arms is enough to get the BC crowd up and out of their seats, bringing the arena back to life from whatever abyss it may have been in from whatever possible deficit. It’s such an odd phenomenon and I love every second of it. If Milwaukee can bring JET back next season for a small price, I hope they do it.

Dylan: In the wake of last year’s Chris Copeland fiasco and the mid-season failure of Kidd’s drinking buddy Kenyon Martin, I was skeptical to say the least of JET’s arrival. But obviously Terry’s personality is buoyant and heartwarming, as his voice and aesthetic caromed throughout the BMO and the Bucks team. If age doesn’t get the better of him physically he’d be a welcome veteran presence again next year.

Rashad Vaughn

Synopsis:

Vaughn played less than half as many minutes as his rookie season. In the limited time he saw, he wasn’t appreciably better. He shot only 32.1% on threes, his main purported skill coming out of school. Defensively, he showed the ability to stick with his man, but rarely looked like an impact player on that end.

While his effective field goal percentage jumped from an almost impossible to believe 38.5% to 44.9% this year, his future as an NBA player remains in doubt beyond the fact his third-year option was picked up last fall. He doesn’t have the quickness to get past guards, can’t finish at the rim with just 46.5% shooting in the restricted area. His pedigree as a lone wolf scorer hasn’t manifested itself in the NBA yet, and he lacks the ability to separate on jumpers. More importantly, he lacks the ability to consistently make that jumper.

Adam: Outside of injury concerns, I’m curious how many rookies played as many minutes as Vaughn did, only to play as few as he did this year. Vaughn still can’t shoot, and played some defense, but he hasn’t shown much of anything to this point. Outside of his low salary, there’s little reason for Milwaukee to exercise his fourth-year option.

Mitchell: He made a boatload of threes once against the Brooklyn Nets in November, and that was basically it. I like his defensive profile as he grows older, but how’re you gonna be a shooter that not only doesn’t shoot accurately, but doesn’t shoot on every opportunity?! Rashad Vaughn’s NBA prospects will evaporate faster than rubbing alcohol if he can’t shore up his jumper; a meal ticket is no good if you can’t get a good lunch out of it.

Gabe: I’m still upset the Bucks didn’t trade Henson and the No. 17 pick to move up and select Devin Booker. I mean, he was only drafted four picks ahead. Oh well, it’s water under the bridge now. The thing with Vaughn is that he was brought in to help alleviate the Bucks’ woes from deep. The other thing with Vaughn is that he hasn’t really contributed in that facet. He still doesn’t have that confidence he exhibited in college with the deep ball and struggled again to find it this year. As Adam mentioned, Milwaukee doesn’t have much pressure to exercise the fourth-year option.

Riley: If we're using up a lot of the cap space on the likes of Snell and Monroe, we're going to need cheap warm bodies, and Vaughn checks off both of those requirements. Here's to one final chance for 'Shad, otherwise he's completely expendable in my eyes.

Dylan: Rashad Vaughn fills the role of “perpetual punching bag” in my household at opportune times, eliciting frequent all caps texts. Sadly, the high-upside prospect out of UNLV hasn’t lived up to any of his potential. He appears to be well-liked on the team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they still call him “the rook” honestly because it’s so fitting. Searching him on google got me rather lewd conspiracy theory not even safe for hyperlinking, so I’ll put on my Woodward and Bernstein hat and let you all know what I find soon. Also, this made me laugh uncontrollably in public.