How the Bullets went from forgotten to first against second

Six months ago, the Brisbane Bullets were at rock bottom. Sitting last on the NBL26 ladder, they ended their season with a 40-point beating from the Sydney Kings, their 13th straight loss.

They say six months is a long time in sport. For the Bullets, it's been a lifetime.

On Wednesday night, the two teams meet again, and this time it's first against second. The Bullets arrive unbeaten and brimming with confidence, but against the reigning champions on their home floor, there's no bigger test of how far they've come.

With Will Weaver on the sideline, Arnas Velička running the show and hometown rookie Max Mackinnon firing from deep, these Bullets bear no resemblance to the team that limped out of NBL26.

"I love what Brisbane are doing. I like how Will Weaver has them organised," Bullets great Derek Rucker said on Moments That Mattered, presented by Mitsubishi Pajero. "There's real hope again in the River City."

Velička is the head of the snake. Two games into his NBL career, he's already done something the League hasn't seen in 36 years.

The Lithuanian guard had 23 points and 14 assists on debut, then backed it up with 17 points and 11 assists against Illawarra. That makes him the first player since Rucker in 1990 to post double-figure assists in each of his first two NBL games. Rucker won MVP that season.

"Velička, he's a different type of player than I was. He's got size. He's got some Euro swagger. I really like the way he plays the game," Rucker said.

"They got a guy to run the show. They got a guy who's not afraid of big moments. He can lead. He can tell people what to do."

If Velička is the conductor, Mackinnon provided the fireworks on Friday night.

The 22-year-old rookie, back in Brisbane after college stints at Elon, Portland and LSU, poured in 31 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 6/8 from three, including a sixth triple with 90 seconds left.

Mackinnon grew up watching the Bullets at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Friday was his first chance to play there.

It's a famous name in Brisbane, and Max is making sure it's his own.

"Max Mackinnon. I loved his post-game interview as well where he had a shout out to dad Sam as if to say, 'Look, I'm here now. Stop talking about Sam Mackinnon. Start talking about Max Mackinnon,'" John Casey said.

"And that's fair on both ends. Look, Sam was one of the all-time greats in season 2007. He was MVP of the League. He was grand final MVP. He was defensive player of the year," Rucker said.

"But now Max Mackinnon comes along and he wants his shine. He is a much different type of basketball player than his dad is. He shoots it lights out."

Brisbane's strength goes well beyond its two headline acts, though.

Nate Hinton had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals against Illawarra, including the dagger three with 43 seconds left. Tyrell Harrison added 17 points and 4 assists, and Jacob Holt chipped in 12.

"With the development of Max Mackinnon and the young professional Tyrell Harrison, they have a couple of good Australians there who provide something that Brisbane really haven't had consistently over the past five or six seasons," Rucker added.

Nobody will have the Bullets as favourites when they walk into Sydney on Wednesday night. But six months after being beaten by 40 on the same stage, they don't need to win to prove how far they've come. They just need to show it.