Milwaukee Bucks: Grading every first round pick since 2014
By Dalton Sell
Grading the Milwaukee Bucks’ first round picks: Rashad Vaughn, 2015
With the 17th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Bucks took Rashad Vaughn to bolster their guard rotation. The move was a mixed bag for fans as Vaughn was the second-youngest player coming out of the draft. During his lone year at UNLV at the collegiate level, Vaughn looked like a fantastic player by averaging a reputable 17.8 points on .439/.383/.694 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
After being taken by the Bucks, the biggest question was whether or not he was ready to perform at an NBA level or not right away. Ultimately, he was not. The team needed him to translate that sweet scoring touch he displayed in college over to the NBA level, and although they did give him a good opportunity during his rookie season, Vaughn never managed to find a groove.
During his two and a half seasons with the Bucks, Vaughn averaged just 3.1 points while shooting an awful 33.7 percent from the floor and 31.2 percent from deep. Also averaging just 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists in his 12.3 minutes per game, Vaughn did not bring much to the table for the Bucks before they ultimately cut ties with him. The potential was always there for Vaughn to be a crucial player for the Bucks, but he never managed to put the pieces together.
Selecting the second-youngest player in the draft was a risk for the Bucks, and while taking a big swing is sometimes necessary, it did not work out here.