Jacque Vaughn might have been the most surprised guy in town when Lon Kruger went to him at shootaround Wednesday and said: You're my starting point guard.

"I'm hoping he will feel confident playing in a building he knows so well," Kruger said. "I hope he can go out there tonight and snap out of this thing."

This thing is a horrible shooting slump that extends to last season. Vaughn was 0-for-22 in his first four games as a Hawk. This after a career-best .433 shooting percentage last season with the Jazz . However, Vaughn was only 1-for-5 in Utah's last regular-season game and 1-for-11 in a five-game playoff series that was lost to Dallas. In that series, he was 0-for-6 the last three games.

The 6-foot-1 guard shot .472 in home games last season, despite his late-season slump that actually started in March.

Vaughn said, "I'm thinking positively. I know my shots will fall. I'm adaptable. I know I can get going."

No nervousness on his return, he said. "I had four happy years here with the Jazz. I have a lot friends on the team. We were close. The fans were good to me, so this is a positive experience coming back here."

Kruger said he sees no connection with last season's slump and this season's miseries. "Jacque wants so badly to do well that he's struggling," Kruger said. "When he starts making a few shots this thing won't even be a memory."