Julian Vaughn

Julian Vaughn had a good summer playing AAU, but has struggled in both games he’s played on national tv. this season. Vaughn is the 52nd ranked player in the class of 2007, and plans to play at Florida State next season. Over the summer he displayed the ability to step out and hit the college three pointer on a regular basis. He also displayed a developing post game inside, and the ability to alter shots on the defensive end. He played on a loaded team that included Michael Beasley, Nolan Smith, and Austin Freeman, and looked like he had a lot of potential to improve.

In both televised Oak Hill games this year, Vaughn has looked a lot less athletic than he did over the summer. He seems to be less mobile now, and it looks like he favors his right knee. This affects his play inside, as he doesn’t really try to create his own offense with his back to the basket. The majority of his points for Oak Hill seem to come from offensive rebounds, and chip shots inside. Vaughn also hasn’t been stepping out and hitting three point shots like he did on the summer circuit. In terms of mobility, he struggled to adjust inside after catching the ball, and missed a few shots near that basket that he should have been able to dunk.

He did block some shots inside against Simeon, and his rebounding fundamentals appear to be solid at this point. Vaughn has good length, and his ability to alter shots will improve if he can regain some explosiveness.

It’s tough to say what Julian Vaughn will bring to Florida State next season. If he is indeed bothered by an injury, a summer of rehab would do wonders for his game. If he can play like he did over the summer, he should get minutes from day 1.