It came right down to the wire, but we finally have a winner loser for our 13th spot on the roster: Rashad Vaughn. Vaughn is many things. A goofy presence who’s provided many memes. A consistent and dedicated overtaker of the Bucks snapchat. Adept at trying to avoid finishing at the rim. One thing he is not, at this point in his career, is a competent NBA shooting guard. While Milwaukee drafted the supposed gunner to be a sharpshooter from the perimeter, his 30.3% career percentage from the three says otherwise.
Of course, Vaughn criticism should be couched in the fact he’s only just finished his second year, not to mention that he just turned 21 in mid-August. Writing someone off this early in their career may be unfair, but it’s fair to point out there’s little to nothing that Vaughn’s flashed to illustrate he could become a solid contributor to this Bucks squad. While his defensive metrics certainly didn’t paint the next lockdown Picasso, I thought the eye test did lend a little credence to improved play on that end of the floor. He still has plenty of work, but I think he has foot speed within the same ballpark as Tony Snell, he’s just got to stay more fundamentally sound instead of letting players get by him off the dribble.
Speaking of off the dribble, that’s one area where Rashad Vaughn’s growth seems entirely stunted. He didn’t show much quickness on the bounce coming out of college, oftentimes settling for awkward, in-between Delly floaters when he couldn’t get past his man. That’s translated to the professional level, where he’s been unable to score much on drives (32.1% shooting) and remains an uninspiring isolation scorer in what little opportunities he’s had despite his supposed mindless scoring persona coming out of school. Oftentimes he seems nervous with the ball in his hand, almost like he’s playing hot potato, which means he never gets a chance to survey the court and look for an intelligent next pass. It’s often continuing a quick ping around the arc or returning it to whomever deigned him with the ball. He’s been one of the most invisible Bucks I’ve seen on the court these last few years, and that’s a tough feat given he only has to stand out among five dudes. One would’ve hoped Jason Terry’s game, that of a sharpshooting, swift ball-mover who looked for folks in opportune spots, would’ve rubbed off on Vaughn, but there was little to no evidence of that last year.
Rashad’s fleeting two games with Summer League stardom this year seemed to incite some optimism about his potential. Lending credence to two standout performances in Summer League is about as useful as practicing on a 7-foot hoop though. Vaughn’s a guy who just hasn’t shown the chops to subsist as an NBA player at this point, and this year could be his last chance here if Milwaukee declines his fourth-year option. That is probably unlikely given his cheap contract, but wouldn’t be too surprising given the waiting game they played with him last year.
Still, his departure before John Henson seems puzzling to me given the fact he could at least be some sort of trade throw-in, not to mention the fact he’s young enough that his first round pedigree may warrant another team taking him in as a deep, dark project. I understand those who don’t even see him as worthy of an NBA roster spot though and I suppose there’s nothing less valuable than that. Shimmy into that 13 spot ‘Shad.
2017-18 Brew Hoop Roster Ranking
13. Rashad Vaughn
14. Spencer Hawes
15. Gary Payton II
Poll
The fourth least valuable player on the Bucks is...
This poll is closed
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61%
John Henson
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16%
Mirza Teletovic
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6%
Matthew Dellavedova
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13%
Sterling Brown
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0%
Tony Snell
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2%
D.J. Wilson