The Milwaukee Bucks made two major additions to Coach Jason Kidd’s squad during Thursday night’s NBA Draft — Jason’s first draft as coach of the Bucks — adding a pair of talented players to the core of the building Bucks, much to the delight of Coach Kidd.

So when the press gathered at the team’s practice facility on Friday morning to meet the team’s first round pick, Rashad Vaughn, Jason lauded the job done on draft day by Milwaukee’s front office, particularly general manager John Hammond.

“I think we got better last night,” Jason said. “The Milwaukee Bucks family grew. I thought it got better. Hammond and those guys did a great job.”

[Watch Rashad Vaughn’s introductory press conference.]

One of those improvements to the Bucks came via the draft itself, with Milwaukee using the 17th overall pick to select guard Vaughn out of UNLV. The other came through a trade.

Milwaukee shipped their second round pick (No. 46 overall) UCLA guard Norman Powell and a lottery protected 2017 first round pick, obtained from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Jared Dudley trade, to the Toronto Raptors for veteran point guard Greivis Vasquez.

Both were big moves to bolster the Bucks backcourt, particularly as it relates to shooting the ball.

“When we talked about the needs for our team this offseason, we talked about shooting, we talked about trying to get some more size, and maybe the backup point guard spot,” general manager John Hammond said. “Every time we’ve talked about it, we’ve mentioned it in that order—shooting first.”

Throughout the press conference, Jason talked about the efforts by Hammond, who sat just two seats down the table, to identify the team’s needs and bring in both players. But before Coach Kidd could finish praising his boss, Hammond’s phone rang, bringing a brief halt to the session. The call wasn’t from a telemarketer or even Hammond’s wife.

In a testament to just how busy and exciting a time it is right now for the Bucks franchise, while the team introduced their coveted new draft choice, the call to Hammond’s phone was coming from none other than the second major addition for the Bucks on draft night, Vasquez. Hammond picked up, and spoke to his newest acquisition for the first time, before telling Vasquez that he would have to call him back.

Like Hammond, Coach Kidd hasn’t yet had the opportunity to speak with the team’s new veteran point guard, but J-Kidd is plenty familiar with the guard. Vasquez will be entering his sixth year in the league next season, so Jason has not only coached against him — most notably in the 2014 playoffs when his Brooklyn Nets went seven games with Vasquez’s Raptors — he’s also played against him. And at Friday’s press conference, J-Kidd was singing the praises of his newest charge.

“I’m a big fan of Vasquez,” Coach Kidd said. “When you look at his competitiveness, his toughness, his basketball IQ, he fits our team, and we’re very excited at the opportunity to have him.”

A long, athletic, sharpshooting point guard at 6’6″, the Maryland product perfectly fits the Milwaukee mold. While playing in all 82 games for a Toronto squad that captured the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, Vasquez averaged a shade over 24 minutes a night, put up 9.5 points per game and shot 38 percent from beyond the arc.

AUBURN HILLS, MI - MARCH 24: Greivis Vasquez #21 of the Toronto Raptors brings the ball up court against the Detroit Pistons on March 24, 2015 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by B. Sevald/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

While Vasquez unintentionally and briefly interjected during the press conference, Vaughn was the man of the hour. The 18-year-old out of UNLV fills an immediate need for shooting and scoring for the Bucks—though Hammond believes he can be much more.

“The guy sitting between Jason and I has a beautiful jump shot, and I think he’s going to turn into a great shooter in this league,” said Hammond of the team’s first-round pick. “Not that he can’t do more things. I think he’s going to be a capable ball handler. He’s going to be able to defend. He’s going to grow into a great NBA two-guard prototype body. But what we liked about him the best is his ability to make shots.”

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Vaughn was on Milwaukee’s radar throughout the draft process, and could end up as one of the steals of the night. A product of one of the nation’s preeminent prep school basketball programs, Findlay Prep, Vaughn was a 5-star prospect and the No. 12 high school player in the nation in 2013-14 according to the 247Sports Composite ratings.

Though he received attention from all over, the talented guard elected to stay close to his high school and play college ball at UNLV. He was outstanding for the Runnin’ Rebels as a freshman, starting in 23 games and averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game. But he tore his meniscus in the 24th game of the season, bringing a premature end to his fantastic season.

Many believed the highly-touted guard would return to school for a season to improve his draft stock. But he said Friday he’s glad his decision to turn pro anyway landed him in Milwaukee.

“I didn’t know what to think when I got injured,” Vaughn said. “To be where I’m at right now, it’s a blessing. To be here in Milwaukee and sitting next to these two guys, and to be the 17th pick, it’s just a blessing.”

Though not being able to finish the season affected his draft stock somewhat, the 18-year-old scorer still had some solid film to boast from before his injury and participated in pre-draft workouts, included multiple workouts with Milwaukee. The Bucks saw enough talent in the second youngest player in the draft to be hooked and were thrilled when he was still available to them in the middle of the first round.

“When we saw him, we liked what we saw,” Jason said of Vaughn. “He’s a competitor. When we look at the boxes, he fits our age group—he’s young. There is no pressure on him coming into this situation to be able to learn the game at the highest level. Being able to talk to him during his workout, he’s a great kid and comes from a great family.”

Vaughn is also thrilled to be joining the Bucks. He is a Minneapolis native, so he’ll be close to home and situation he’s coming into in Milwaukee, with a young squad on the rise, has him excited for what’s next.

“I thought I had a great workout, and the positive vibes I was getting when I came here, I knew there was an interest in me,” Vaughn said. “I wanted to come here as well. I looked at this as being a great fit for me. I’m excited to come and start working. I’m excited to learn under Coach Kidd. I’m excited to become a better player and get as good as I possibly can.”

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