Bucks guard Rashad Vaughn steps up in Jason Terry's absence

Rashad Vaughn has been biding his time, staying ready. Heading into Wednesday's game, the third-year Milwaukee Bucks guard had seldom seen the floor over the span of a month, playing 14 total minutes while appearing in just five of the team's 13 games.

Then, midway through the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons, head coach Jason Kidd signaled for Vaughn to check in, making him the first man off the bench. There were minutes available with Jason Terry sidelined by a left calf strain, and the most likely candidates were Vaughn and rookie guard Sterling Brown.

“I didn’t really know because you never know — Coach will put anybody in there at any time," Vaughn said. "You’ve just got to really be ready. Me and Sterling were talking to each other — he was telling me to be ready and I was telling him to be ready. We just kind of help each other out.”

Vaughn missed his first shot, a three-pointer, about 1 1/2 minutes after subbing in for Tony Snell. Later in the quarter, though, he hit his stride and carried the Bucks with him.

He got started offensively thanks to a rebound, as he corralled a miss by Malcolm Brogdon and drew a foul on Detroit's Anthony Tolliver. Vaughn made 1 of 2 attempts at the free-throw line, but got the positive vibes that come with seeing the ball go through the net.

Vaughn continued making things happen on Milwaukee's next two possessions. With Thon Maker covered in the post late in the shot clock, Vaughn slashed from the weak side to give Maker an outlet and finished with a layup. On the Bucks' next trip, Vaughn caught a pass from Brogdon and confidently pulled the trigger on a 27-footer, splashing it through to conclude a personal six-point spurt.

That scoring burst tripled Vaughn's total scoring over his six prior appearances during November and December.

“It’s more of a mental thing than physical, just staying mentally ready," Vaughn said. "Just staying mentally sharp and knowing where to be and just trying to bring energy and everything else will just take care of itself. 

“When your teammates are looking for you that’s just confidence in itself. Then to see some fall in that helps tremendously.”

Vaughn added a pair of free throws in the third quarter before contributing to Milwaukee's 14-1 run to open the fourth. With just over nine minutes left and the Bucks ahead by three, Vaughn went to set a screen for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The screen itself didn't take, but Vaughn popped out to the corner as Antetokounmpo attempted to drive inside.

When Antetokounmpo was stymied, he flung a wild pass out to the corner that Vaughn adeptly collected and fired up for a three-pointer. Despite the fact that he hasn't spent much time on the court this season, Vaughn appreciated that Antetokounmpo trusted him in that situation.

“It feels really good, especially for a guy like Rashad that is coming off the bench and he is trying to fight for minutes," Antetokounmpo said of making that pass and seeing Vaughn's shot fall. "It’s a big moment for him, it’s a big moment for the team. That shot really gave us energy and helped us win the game.”

By the night's end, Vaughn had 11 points, five rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal in 17 minutes. The Bucks were plus-18 with him on the floor, the highest plus-minus total on the team Wednesday night.

“It’s a team game, so I thought our bench did a really good job of responding this evening with all the injuries that we have," Kidd said. "I thought Vaughn took advantage. He was ready.”

In discussing Vaughn's strong outing, both Kidd and Vaughn mentioned the extra effort being put forth by the players who don't normally see a significant number of minutes. Vaughn, Brown, D.J. Wilson, DeAndre Liggins, Joel Bolomboy and Gary Payton II — with Jabari Parker sometimes joining the group — have spent extra time during and after practices and sometimes after games going through drills together and playing three-on-three.

Those games can be fairly intense, especially considering they serve both as test as well as an audition for more minutes.

"The guys have done a really good job of trying to stay in shape playing against one another and when their name is called they’ve responded in a positive way," Kidd said.

While Vaughn took advantage of his opportunity on Wednesday night, he knows there are no promises going forward as the Bucks host the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. Friday and the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I’m mentally prepared for anything," Vaughn said. "Sterling could play tomorrow or me, you never know. I try to take it one day at a time and just be ready if it is me and ready to cheer on Sterling if it is him.”