Kidd pleased by Vaughn’s debut

Driving to the lane and spinning right, Rashad Vaughn floated by a defender and finished by banking in a shot. It was the type of play he executed several times as a UNLV freshman.

It’s also why he never made it to his sophomore year.

“It’s a new level, a new life,” Vaughn said Friday after debuting as a Milwaukee Bucks rookie in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Vaughn left school early because he believed he would be a first-round pick. He said he believed his skills as a shooter would be in popular demand. He was proven right when the Bucks drafted him 17th overall in late June.

After a series of strong workouts for various teams, Vaughn, a 6-foot-6-inch guard, started to rise up draft boards and shoot down widespread second-round projections.

“He can shoot the ball. In this league, there’s never enough shooters,” Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said. “We were very fortunate to be able to get him at 17.”

Vaughn was not a red-hot shooter Friday, connecting on 5 of 14 field goals and 4 of 4 free throws while scoring 14 points in the Bucks’ 101-89 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Cox Pavilion. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts.

He was upstaged by Seth Curry, who went undrafted two years ago. The younger brother of NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry shot his way to a 30-point performance for the Pelicans.

Kidd, who was observing and not coaching the summer league team, was impressed by Vaughn’s shot selection and poise. He turns 19 in August and was the second-youngest player in the draft.

“I thought Rashad was good,” Kidd said. “Being home maybe helped him with being comfortable. Being only 18, I thought he handled himself quite well.”

In Kidd’s first year as coach, Milwaukee finished 41-41 and reached the playoffs. The young Bucks appear to be rising in the Eastern Conference, and Kidd said adding a 3-point shooter or two was his priority in the offseason.

Even if Vaughn’s return to campus was not what UNLV fans had envisioned, he received a loud ovation when announced with the Bucks’ starters.

Vaughn, a former McDonald’s All-American from Findlay Prep, averaged 17.8 points in 23 games for the Rebels, shooting 38.3 percent (54 of 141) from 3-point range. He was voted Freshman of the Year by Mountain West coaches despite missing seven conference games, suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee Feb. 10.

“I enjoyed it being back in front of the UNLV fans,” he said. “It was great.

“I felt good. 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.”

Vaughn gets a guaranteed contract as a first-round pick. Chris Wood will have to earn his stay the hard way.

A 6-11 forward, Wood left UNLV as a sophomore with expectations of being a first-round pick. Stunned to go undrafted, he signed a free-agent deal with the Houston Rockets. About two hours after Vaughn exited the floor, Wood made his entrance.

Wood, who was impressive in spurts but sat out most of the second half, had nine points and five rebounds in the Rockets’ 111-104 win against the D-League Select team.

The three games at Cox Pavilion served as a reunion for former Rebels, with Khem Birch, Bryce Dejean-Jones, Mike Moser and Roscoe Smith also suiting up without much success.

Birch (six points, six rebounds) and Dejean-Jones (four points) came off the bench for the Pelicans. Birch, a 6-9 forward who is spending his second summer in Las Vegas, went undrafted after his junior season and is struggling to make it as a pro.

Moser scored two points as a reserve for the Atlanta Hawks. Smith did not play for the Denver Nuggets.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.