Are The Bucks Regretting The Selection Of Rashad Vaughn?

In 2015, the Milwaukee Bucks chose Rashad Vaughn from UNLV with the 17th pick. Was this is a mistake?

2014-2015 was the tale of two seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by point-guard Brandon Knight, the team played hard on both ends of the court. This translated to a surprisingly successful record heading into the trade deadline.

Focusing on long-term financial stability, the Bucks front office chose to trade their best player for Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis. The initial reaction to adding MCW was positive, even as he struggled throughout the team’s playoff run.

Ultimitally, the Bucks played a competive series against the Chicago Bulls but were put to rest embarrisingly in game six. Despite finishing the season a sour note, it appeared the team would only get better through free-agency and the draft.

Coming off a playoff appearance, many thought the front office would try to find a player who would contribute immediately. Instead, the team did the opposite by drafting freshman guard Rashad Vaughn.

Known as a pure shooter and playmaker, the selection of Vaughn made sense because Milwaukee struggled to score after trading Brandon Knight. However, the move did not make sense in that the former Runnin’ Rebel was just 18 years old. He was also expected be available later in the first round.

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Despite the concerns over his youth and mock draft projections, the Bucks seemed confident in their ability to compete without needing the immediate help of their draft pick. In hindsight, this was a poor decision as Milwaukee finished 12th in the East (33-49). This came even with the major free-agent signing of Greg Monroe.

With Milwaukee’s struggles spilling over into this year and Rashad Vaughn still not contributing, is it time declare him a bust? One way to assess the pick is by comparing his production to those drafted after him. By doing so, it is possible to see if the Bucks reached for Vaughn over a better player.

Looking at the 13 players drafted after him, there is no one on the list who has made a major impact in the leauge. The top two players being Sam Dekker (18th) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23rd). While the Bucks would likely be a better team with either Dekker or Hollis-Jefferson, the difference would not be substantial. In fact, it could be argued that either player would be a poor because of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker already holding down the forward position.

One player who the Bucks were expected to target was Bobby Portis out of Arkansas. Chosen as the 22nd pick, Portis is still finding his way much like Vaughn. However, the difference being that Chicago is giving him opportunities with consistent playing time.

This is the opposite of what is taking place with Rashad Vaughn. In his second season on a team with fellow young players, Vaughn should be averaging around 15 minutes per game. More importantly, he should be taking 8-10 shots per contest. This would allow him to find his shooting stroke and feel a sense of confidence from the coaching staff.

In Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, it appeared Jason Kidd would finally head in this direction by putting Vaughn in the starting lineup. But, any hope for this vanished as he was benched after just five minutes.

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With the Bucks playoff hopes fading fast, they must committ to playing Rashad Vaughn and get some value from their former first round pick. If they don’t, next season will be another year of waiting to see what he has to offer. Instead of postponing this process, Milwaukee could use their remaining games to see if he is part of the future plan.

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