Milwaukee Bucks Assign Rashad Vaughn To The Canton Charge

The Milwaukee Bucks announced that rookie Rashad Vaughn has been assigned to the Canton Charge of the D-League.  We take a look at what that means for him and the team going forward.

Fresh off of a very memorable night for many reasons, the Milwaukee Bucks announced earlier today that rookie Rashad Vaughn has been assigned to the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, per the flex assignment rule.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, considering Vaughn played a factor as part of an all-bench lineup that was instrumental in the team’s comeback over the Memphis Grizzlies last night.

However, the move does speak on where Vaughn is at in his development as his rookie season has been a year full of growing pains.

After showing a lot of promise in the preseason, Vaughn has struggled to consistently show off his renowned shooting ability on a nightly basis (Vaughn’s shooting 30 percent from both the field and three-point range) this season.

Though due to the Bucks’ ongoing injury situation Vaughn’s playing time had increased over the recent weeks, he had shown a growing lack of confidence as both a shot creator and shot maker.

While Vaughn’s performance and development played a factor in his D-League move, another element may be due to a recent move the team made as well.

Considering the team signed Jared Cunnngham to a 10-day contract earlier in the week, Vaughn’s move to Canton frees up some playing time for Cunningham and gives the Bucks a chance to see what they have in the 24-year old product from Oregon State.

Even with everything considered, the timing of the move does seem a little strange.

The Bucks have struggled to have a fully healthy roster in recent weeks and with the playoffs out of reach (the Bucks are five games out of the eighth seed with 13 games to go), it seemed time to see what the team has in their more raw and unproven players.

Though, according to Bucks head coach Jason Kidd via Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Vaughn’s D-League assignment may be more about what Vaughn can do on a more smaller stage:

All in all, Vaughn’s move to Canton is a necessary one for the 19 year-old.

How long Vaughn is in Canton is unknown at this point, but given how his season has gone, Vaughn has a chance to flourish in an environment like the D-League and salvage what has an undoubtedly been a trying rookie season.

The Bucks have been more willing to experiment with the D-League than they have in years past and while that speaks to the state of the team’s roster, maybe it’s a sign of things to come as well.