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Milwaukee Bucks: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Nov 28, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe (10) turns around Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Bucks win 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe (10) turns around Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Bucks win 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Milwaukee Bucks
Feb 7, 2015; Fort Collins, CO, USA; UNLV Rebels guard Rashad Vaughn (1) attempts a free throw in second half against the Colorado State Rams at Moby Arena. The Rams defeated the Rebels 83-82. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Drafting Rashad Vaughn

With the 17th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Bucks had options. They could have gone with a potential stretch-4 like Sam Dekker (18), another smart point guard who’d benefit from Jason Kidd’s tutelage in Jerian Grant (19), or the ultra-intense Bobby Portis (22). Instead, they went with Rashad Vaughn, a shooting guard from UNLV who just so happened to be the youngest player in the draft.

At 18 years old, Vaughn has staggering potential to become a tremendous scorer at the NBA level. At 6’5″ and 200 pounds, he already has an NBA body and athleticism. In his lone collegiate season, Vaughn averaged 17.8 points per game, and even though he only shot 43.9 percent from the floor, he converted 38.3 percent of his 6.1 three-point attempts per game.

Milwaukee needed some three-point shooting to help spread the floor, so even if Vaughn will need time to develop given how young he is, the Bucks are willing to be patient. He should be able to establish himself as a catch-and-shoot threat, but he’s also pretty versatile on offense and will be able to add a scoring punch off the bench for the league’s 25th ranked offense last year.

In six Summer League games, Vaughn only shot 25 percent from downtown, but he still averaged 17.2 points per game. As he continues to develop, Vaughn’s shot selection and efficiency will need to improve, but it’s still too early to start worrying.

However, taking Vaughn at No. 17 might have been a reach, ever so slight that it may be. R.J. Hunter (No. 28) was also pegged as a quality three-point shooter, while Justin Anderson (No. 21) shot the ball exceptionally well last season and had the defensive skills that would’ve been a great fit in Milwaukee.

To clarify, Vaughn is not a bad pick by any means. On a team that needs time and patience to let its young talent grow together, Vaughn will fit right in and be able to develop at his own pace. In the lowly Eastern Conference, there’s no rush, since only injuries would prevent the Bucks from making the playoffs. A few years down the road, this could wind up being an excellent pick.

Grade: B

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