PLAYERS: Jacque Vaughn

(Editor’s Note: I wrote this mid-season of the ‘07-‘08 campaign. Everyone take a moment to thank the Basketball Gods for George Hill.)

Alright, let’s get this party started. Jacque Vaughn is an abomination on the basketball court. Jacque Vaughn is averaging 4.1 PPG, 1 RPG, 2.2 APG, and .72 TPG in 15 minutes. He is shooting 42.4% from the field. His numbers look horrible, but what they do not capture is how the opposing point guards fare when going head to head against Vaughn. (They destroy him.) They also do not reflect his momentum killing contributions. When Jacque enters a game, you can expect a turnover, two wide open missed shots, and Vaughn’s go-to move which consists of driving into the lane, realizing he’s a midget, and circling back out, thereby wasting 5-10 seconds off the shot clock. He is also prone to air-balling lay-ups. This is due to the fact that he is tiny, can’t jump, and is not quick. If he gets a step on a defender, the defender can recover in plenty of time to alter his shot. So why does Popovich insist upon playing Jacque? He has the wily veteran Damon Stoudemire rusting on the bench while Vaughn handicaps the team. I am of the opinion that when Popovich looks at Jacque Vaughn, he sees Avery Johnson. Jacque Vaughn is a poor man’s Avery Johnson. For his career, Avery averaged 8.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.6 TPG in 25 minutes. Compare those numbers to Jacque's listed above. If you take into consideration that Avery averaged 10 more minutes per game, their numbers are nearly identical. Seriously, it’s almost spooky. Both players are short, slow, and they can’t jump. Avery had a knack for finding the open man, which is why Jacque is a step below him. Jacque should be playing golf, not playing backup point guard for the defending champs. Jacque Vaughn makes my head hurt.