Milwaukee Bucks: Look For Rashad Vaughn To Light It Up

The other day, I wrote about who I felt was the fifth best shooting guard in this year’s draft in Rashad Vaughn. At 6’5″, with a 6’7″ wingspan and 200-pound frame, Vaughn is indeed a prototypical scoring guard.

This seems to be a great fit for the Milwaukee Bucks, who are in dire need of scoring. They expect to return most of their team, including highly valued restricted free agent, Khris Middleton. The analytics community adores Middleton, as he held a position as one of the highest RPM (real plus/minus) players in the league.

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Moreover, the Bucks already tout an incredibly versatile defensive scheme with lengthy wings Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo ferociously ball-hounding and screen-switching alongside Middleton.

However, despite the Bucks’ fourth-best defensive rating in league according to Basketball-Reference.com, they were an abysmal 26th in offensive rating per the same metric (points against/points for per 100 possessions).

They absolutely need scoring, and Vaughn is arguably the best scoring two guard available. Let’s take a look at his college stats from his one year at UNLV:

Per Game

Season	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	2P	2PA	2P%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	TRB	AST	TOV	PTS
2014-15	23	32.3	6.3	14.3	.439	3.9	8.1	.481	2.3	6.1	.383	3.0	4.3	.694	4.8	1.6	2.2	17.8
Career	23	32.3	6.3	14.3	.439	3.9	8.1	.481	2.3	6.1	.383	3.0	4.3	.694	4.8	1.6	2.2	17.8

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table

Advanced

Season	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	AST%	TOV%	USG%	OWS	DWS	WS	WS/40	OBPM	DBPM	BPM
2014-15	23	742	20.2	.547	.521	11.8	11.8	30.8	1.4	1.1	2.5	.132	3.0	-1.8	1.3
Career	23	742	20.2	.547	.521	11.8	11.8	30.8	1.4	1.1	2.5	.132	3.0	-1.8	1.3

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table

Vaughn is an elite scorer, albeit a ballstopper with his 31 percent usage. But despite his high usage, Vaughn only averaged two turnovers in 32 minutes per game. He’s smart with the ball, a capable scorer around the rim and from deep, sporting a relatively efficient true shooting percentage of 54.7.

His defensive concerns are less important on the Bucks, where his primary role will be to score. Still, his methods of scoring are questionable, as he tends to pull up for contested midrange jumpers and lacks the athleticism to finish over the defense.

He will score at the rim and excels at slashing off his first step or in a straight line, but his creativity is less than desirable, especially given his lack of vertical play around the rim.

What bodes well for him and the Bucks, however, is his consistent shooting stroke and ability to hit over the defense. Look for Vaughn to take up what O.J. Mayo‘s role was supposed to be on the team, and if Mayo somehow gets his shot back, the Bucks will have potent scoring options all over the bench.

It’s important to note, however, that Vaughn’s lack of creativity and reliance on contested pull-up jumpers may lead to his relegation as a spot up shooter. Nevertheless, his draft workouts and interviews point to him having a mentality of a scorer that can and will improve in an NBA offense. At UNLV, he was the focus. The offense started and stopped with Vaughn.

He no longer has that pressure. He is joining a playoff team that took a very good Chicago Bulls team to six games, all while missing second overall pick Jabari Parker. Look for Parker and Vaughn to carry the scoring load for Milwaukee next season. And with a defensive-minded team surrounding two natural scorers, the Bucks have to be happy about this pick.

It is, admittedly, a bit of reach, with Vaughn projected to go in the late first round of most mock drafts, but with all things draft related, the general managers know best. And given the Bucks GM drafted the far and away best rookie in Parker (before his unfortunate ACL injury) last year, I’d wager that they’ll be just fine.

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