Realistic Expectations for Rashad Vaughn's Rookie Season with Milwaukee Bucks

General manager John Hammond handed incumbent swingman Khris Middleton a five-year, $70 million contract this month, but it's another shooting guard who's garnering attention during Las Vegas Summer League competition. A rookie no less.

The organization selected Rashad Vaughn with the No. 17 overall pick in last month's draft, adding a shooter who should do a nice job of backing up Middleton in the short term. The UNLV product tallied 14 points in his summer league debut, and head coach Jason Kidd took notice.

"I thought Rashad was good," Kidd told reporters after the contest. "Being home maybe helped him with being comfortable. Being only 18, I thought he handled himself quite well. He let the game come to him. He didn't take any bad shots. He did what he was supposed to do, take wide-open shots. He competed on defense. Now this is something he can build on."

Once Vaughn acclimates himself to the professional game, his results may be even more impressive. For now, he's just working on conditioning and learning that game.

"I felt good," Vaughn told reporters after his debut. "I got a little winded but just had to push through it. I started getting my second wind. I was just coming out there and trying to get acclimated to the NBA and just competing and trying to get better."

Originally from Minneapolis, Vaughn was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year after averaging 17.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest last season. Once NBA teams got a closer look at him, they really began liking what they saw.

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

Hammond told reporters of drafting Vaughn: 

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It was just the Milwaukee Bucks factor and the need for shooting. We were talking about how guys' stock can rise a few days ago. Rashad shot the ball extremely well in that (Los Angeles) workout. I think he got a lot of people's attention there. Then he was in our last workout here on Monday and shot the ball extremely well for us again. He has nice size at 6-foot-5. He's only 18 years old. We just continue to get younger. He'll grow into that prototype NBA 2-guard body. We think he has a chance to be a good player.

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How good? Much depends on how well Vaughn develops his already-diversified offensive game and to what extent he applies himself on the defensive end. Though he missed all four of his three-point attempts in his summer league debut, shooting won't be a problem for him. The mechanics work, and the confidence is there.

That's why the Bucks took him.

At minimum, Vaughn must prove to be a capable defender in order to carve out a consistent role in this league. There are plenty of shooters, but only a few—the Danny Green and Wesley Matthews types—can really defend their position as well. If Vaughn turns into a legitimate three-and-D presence, he'll have a long career one way or another.

Vaughn isn't yet much of a ball hawk defensively, but he does a have 6'7" wingspan that could enable him to guard multiple positions. He has the physical tools, but his effort was uneven at the collegiate level.

Here's how DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony described his defensive virtues and vices in May:

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Defensively, Vaughn has clear potential, with quick feet, solid lateral quickness, and the ability to get over the top of screens. When he decides to get in a stance and stay in front of his man, he shows nice ability on this end of the floor. Unfortunately that's not always the case, as he rarely proved to be a high effort, high intensity player, often being seen with his hands by his side, biting on fakes, or out of place in the pick and roll.

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Teams may be willing to forgive some defensive lapses by virtue of Vaughn's sheer offensive ability. He could be more efficient, but he did make 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts last season. He also scored in a variety of ways and demonstrated some of the shooting versatility one might associate with stars like Klay Thompson. That's not to say Vaughn will be quite that good, but he could one day be grouped among the league's most potent 2-guards.

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Just don't ask Vaughn which current player he most resembles.

"I don't think I play similar to one player," he told media last month. "I think I have a little type of skills from a couple of players. I watch and study a lot of Bradley Beal, DeMar DeRozan, Dwyane Wade. I try to watch the best 2-guards in the league and try to take things they do well to add them to my game."

That's certainly the right idea. As always, the rest depends on execution.

Fortunately, there won't be much immediate pressure on Vaughn. He was the second-youngest player in the draft, and the franchise's commitment to Middleton assures Vaughn some time to hone his craft and continue his skill development while contributing off the bench.

He understands his role, and he'll be surrounded by emerging talent coming off last season's surprising return to the postseason. This could be an ideal situation for Vaughn. And he's ready to contribute from the outset.

"I think I can come in and add some shooting and some scoring," Vaughn added in June, per Charles Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. "I know Coach Kidd wanted to bring in shooting. I think that's where I come in. We have a great point guard (Michael Carter-Williams) and have some good bigs that can pass out of the post. I think I can come in and shoot and do whatever I need to do."

For now, expectations won't be exceptionally high. Milwaukee's bench ranked eighth in scoring a season ago, and the backcourt will be a bit deeper with the addition of Greivis Vasquez. Vaughn can ease his way into the rotation (which also includes veteran O.J. Mayo at the 2), at which point the sky becomes his limit down the road.

Middleton may have some competition at that shooting guard spot in the not-too-distant future.