Vaughn’s draft stock on the rise
Whether by design or by luck, Rashad Vaughn’s timing is right. His stock is rising in the NBA Draft in a surprising way.
In early April, when the freshman shooting guard announced he was leaving UNLV, his timing was questioned. He was recovering from a knee injury. He was projected as a second-round pick. He was considered a long shot to reach the first round.
Vaughn is doing his part by impressing general managers and scouts in individual workouts. The Golden State Warriors are helping him out with the other part, triggering a philosophical change in style of play across the league.
“There’s a lot of talk about playing smaller and faster in the NBA,” said a Western Conference scout, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The way Golden State is playing has become popular. Everyone is enamored. It’s the only way to play now.
“You better be able to play small and spread out the defense, because that’s the way the game is changing. You better get some shooters out there. You have to create off the dribble and shoot, and that’s where Vaughn is good. He can shoot it, and he’s got all that stuff off the dribble like pull-ups and runners. That’s why his stock is going up.”
NBA scouts rarely speak on the record, especially this time of year with the draft looming June 25 in New York. The scout quoted in this story attended several UNLV games last season and filed a positive report on Vaughn.
“I think he’s definitely a solid second-round pick at the moment. It’s a no-brainer, if you’ve got an early second-round pick, you look at this kid because he’s so versatile,” the scout said. “Vaughn can work his way into the late first round. He’s got plenty of time to keep impressing guys.”
According to reports, Vaughn had strong workouts for Miami and Indiana last week. He was scheduled Monday to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers. His next visits will be with Phoenix, San Antonio and Golden State.
The Warriors’ run to the NBA Finals has inspired the rest of the league to explore change. Golden State plays fast and lives from the perimeter, with point guard Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson shooting holes through defenses. In some situations, the Warriors put three guards and two small forwards on the floor.
In the 2012 draft, 6-foot-7-inch Draymond Green of Michigan State was a second-round pick (35th overall), considered too small to play power forward. Now, when the Warriors go to a small lineup, Green is their center.
“Everyone is going to start playing that way. There’s no more post play with a big guy’s back to the basket,” the scout said. “Everyone is changing the way they play, so you’ve got to keep up. That’s what the NBA is: What have you done for me lately?”
Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd and Sacramento coach George Karl recently made comments emphasizing a shift to playing faster. Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, talked about similar plans at the end of the regular season.
“We would like to play a little faster tempo,” Bird told The Indianapolis Star. “And that means we’ve got to run a little faster, maybe at times play a little smaller. We’d like to change it a little bit. But I would like to score more points, and to do that, you’ve got to run.”
It’s a copycat league, but it’s difficult to mimic the style of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Eastern Conference champions, because there’s no way to clone LeBron James. So the Warriors are the trendy team to follow.
It’s all optimistic news for Vaughn, who is entering the NBA at a time when teams see more value in athletic shooting guards. At 6-6, Vaughn can score off the dribble and has catch-and-shoot ability. He averaged 17.8 points in 23 games for the Rebels, shooting 38.3 percent (54 of 141) from 3-point range.
“Rashad is big and strong, and he can certainly score in a variety of ways,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said. “He can make tough shots when the shot clock is running down. He can go get a basket and make plays for someone else, and that’s something the NBA likes about him. The feedback on him has been very good.”
Vaughn was the go-to scorer for the Rebels, who run an offense featuring a lot of NBA elements such as high ball screens for guards and isolation plays.
“I love the NBA playoffs. I haven’t missed very many games,” Rice said. “I think there’s so much to learn. It’s all about floor spacing and getting guys who make plays and make shots. When you see a team like Golden State have so much success, that absolutely appears to be the trend.”
Vaughn, a Findlay Prep product and former McDonald’s All-American, faced a future complicated by an injury. He suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee on Feb. 10 and underwent surgery Feb. 18. It appears he is answering questions about the strength of his knee, the main factor in his perceived slip to the second round two months ago.
“He is fully recovered,” Rice said. “He’s a good kid who works hard, and he’s only 18 years old.”
In April, a mock draft on DraftExpress.com slotted Vaughn 48th overall in the second round. It has been updated with Vaughn going 27th in the first round to the Lakers. Chris Wood, the Rebels’ 6-11 sophomore forward, is projected to go No. 26 to the Spurs.
While raving about Vaughn, the scout said he sees too many red flags with Wood — lapses in effort and lack of strength — to recommend drafting him.
“Vaughn has been doing well,” the scout said. “Everyone likes his personality, and the kid can play.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
