As the start of the 2015-16 NBA season draws near, the plan is starting to take shape for Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks this preseason.

Milwaukee brought in several new players this offseason whom they hope can quickly gel with the returning core players to make the Bucks a better all around team. Two of those newcomers are battling for the preseason spotlight. Through the team’s first three preseason games, first round draft pick Rashad Vaughn and blockbuster free agent addition Greg Monroe have led the Bucks in scoring.

Most recently, they each scored 19 points as the Bucks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night for their first preseason victory. The game prior, Monroe tallied 18 against his former team, the Detroit Pistons, while Vaughn notched 11. The rookie is currently averaging a team-high 16.7 points per game through the first three while Monroe sits at 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Bucks expected as much from Monroe, who is entering his sixth NBA season after averaging a double-double last year. But while they had hopes for Vaughn, his quick impact has been a pleasant surprise. Coach Jason Kidd has been extremely complimentary of Vaughn.

“He could shoot the ball, that’s one,” Jason said. “And also his demeanor, being 19 years old, he’s very mature, acts a lot older on the court and off the court. Making shots, he’s not one to celebrate. He just does his job. Every shot looks like a good shot, and he’ll learn what’s a good shot and a bad shot.”

Detroit Pistons v Milwaukee Bucks

The UNLV product is soft-spoken, and his veteran moxie goes beyond his demeanor after making a bucket. As Jason describes, he has also shown great mental toughness, and the all-important short-term memory—something the Bucks noticed during the draft process.

“He just plays the game. Make a mistake, he moves on to the next moment,” Jason said of his budding rookie. “When he does well, it’s not as if he needs the whole world to know. He just keeps playing. That’s what really stuck out for us when we saw him working out.”

Those outside of the Milwaukee franchise are starting to take notice as well. Vaughn had 11 points in just 23 minutes against the Pistons came on Saturday, which followed a 20-point performance in the Bucks’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bulls last week. Detroit’s veteran head coach Stan Van Gundy commented after Saturday’s game that he was quite impressed with the first-year player.

“The Vaughn kid put on a show in the fourth quarter, as he did in Chicago the other night,” Van Gundy said. “We’re going to be dealing with him for a long time in the league. He’s got a quick release and can really, really shoot the ball.”

Milwaukee Bucks v Cleveland Cavaliers

While Vaughn had a solid night in Detroit, it was Van Gundy’s former charge Monroe that starred in his first trip back to the place he spent the first five years of his NBA career.

Monroe noted before the game that he wasn’t concerned with showing Detroit what it was missing. Instead, he was just glad to have another opportunity to run with the Bucks. He proved he has taken to being a Buck incredibly quickly, bouncing back from a six-point, four-rebound night in the team’s exhibition opener to post 18 points and eight rebounds on Saturday against the Pistons.

“I think I fit in with the guys,” Monroe said. “I know I made the right decision. I’m not questioning that. Now is just time to get better with the team so we can do something together.”

Monroe’s words spoke to one of Jason’s top priorities with his team right now: helping Monroe, a player with All-Star potential, to find his place in the Milwaukee system. Of course, J-Kidd’s philosophy is centered around the team, not just one dominant player. The Bucks have a bevy of scorers, and Coach Kidd is known to use a deep rotation. All that said, Monroe’s ability as a rebounder, rim protector and scorer down low is already looking like it will pay dividends for the Bucks.

“That’s why we recruited him and wanted him here,” Jason said of Monroe. “We felt he was going to fit and he does fit. But there’s also a feeling-out process. He’s had quite a few coaches (in Detroit) in his early career. For him, it’s getting the system on both ends and he’s doing that very well. He played at Georgetown and he’s a smart young man, not just on the court but off the court, too.”

Detroit Pistons v Milwaukee Bucks

Vaughn and Monroe aren’t the only Bucks players finding their footing in the team’s early exhibition contests. Jason has been rotating through plenty of players so far.

In three games, he has used three different starting lineups, and only Monroe, Michael Carter-Williams and Khris Middleton have been mainstays in the starting five thus far. He went 16 players deep against the Bulls and featured 15 against the Pistons before narrowing his rotation to 11 against the Cavs.

Overall, the results have been promising. J-Kidd has noted a few areas where the Bucks, as a group, must improve. But he’s been happy with the process thus far this preseason.

“There were some positive things we can take from this and there are a lot of things we can continue to work on,” Jason said. “With the different rotations we’re going with, there’s no panic. As a whole we need to play harder as a team. That’s what happens with new guys and this is a good dress rehearsal for us.”

On Tuesday night, the Bucks were at their best, rolling deep with contributions from all over.

Monroe was the lone starter to score in double figures, however Milwaukee had five players off the bench reach that mark. In addition to Vaughn’s 19 points, the Bucks got double-doubles out of guard O.J. Mayo, who scored 12 points and tallied 10 assists, and forward John Henson who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jerryd Bayless and Johnny O’Bryant III each neared double-doubles of their own. Bayless had 13 points and eight assists, while O’Bryant came through with 10 points and eight boards. As he did last year, Coach Kidd knows he can count on his bench going forward.

“I think our second group got a rhythm,” Kidd said. “That’s a group that has been together if you take the rook (Vaughn) out of that equation. Those four players got us going but also the rook has had a heck of a camp and preseason. I think that’s a good sign that he’s someone we can count on as we move forward.”

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Perhaps the best sign for the Bucks on Tuesday was how well they executed to close the game.

After falling behind by double digits early, Milwaukee rallied back to pull within six at halftime. They still trailed by three entering, but absolutely dominated the final frame on both ends of the floor. The Bucks shot 68 percent from the field to tally 35 fourth quarter points and limited the Cavaliers to 23 points on just 50 percent from the floor, as Milwaukee cruised to their first exhibition win. Afterward, Bucks players talked about the building blocks put in place this preseason and how they’re coming together with just three preseason games remaining.

“It takes time to integrate and know where everybody wants it (the ball). It’s the third game and we don’t even have certain guys,” Henson said. “It’s about building up to get better every day and hopefully by the 28th we’ll be clicking on all cylinders.”

NEXT UP

The 28th brings the regular-season opener against the New York Knicks, but the Bucks have three more chances to tune-up before then. They’ll be back home this Saturday night to host the Washington Wizards. Tip-off from the BMO Harris Bradley Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

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