Return of the Mack: Son of a gun joins Bullets revival

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New Brisbane Bullets coach Will Weaver has made arguably his biggest statement since arriving to take over the franchise after signing one of Australia's brightest young prospects and the son of a club legend in Max Mackinnon.

According to ESPN's Olgun Uluc, Mackinnon has signed a two-year deal with the Bullets after a stellar college career, including a career-year in his senior season with LSU in the SEC, where he averaged 15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting at almost 38% from beyond the arc.

The 22-year-old is also coming off playing for the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Summer League.

By joining Brisbane, Mackinnon follows in the footsteps of Australian basketball legend and dad, Sam Mackinnon, who played for the Bullets from 2005-08. His tenure included leading one of the greatest NBL teams in history to the 2007 championship, where he also had one of the best individual seasons in league history by winning the title as well as regular season MVP, grand final MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Mackinnon, a 6'6" guard, spent the NBL22 season as a development player for the Bullets but will now become one of the faces of the franchise having grown up in the area.

The Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence graduate is a Brisbane Capitals junior and attended school at St Joseph's College Gregory Terrace in the city's inner-north. He also represented Queensland throughout his junior career, which included a gold medal at the National Under-20 Championships in Mackay.

Mackinnon has been training on the Gold Coast in recent weeks, obviously in preparation for his return to the NBL with the Bullets.

Despite already signing two imports and one more believed to be on the horizon, the signing of Mackinnon is arguably Weaver's biggest in free agency, given the belief the youngster could feature in the NBA as a possible two-way player or in the G League given he initially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hornets and then Europe reportedly a close second consideration.

His signing also signals that Weaver is doing things differently than past Bullets coaches.

Instead of separating themselves from players, coaches or people with connections to Brisbane or past Bullets teams, Weaver is clearly trying to re-establish a connection with the franchise's decorated past as well as its fan base.

The former Sydney Kings head coach signed Rio Bruton, the son of CJ Bruton, as a development player before adding Mackinnon as well. He also signed local big man Harry Rouhliadeff fresh out of an impressive college career with the University of Hawaii, prying him away from the lure of other NBL teams as well as teams in the Japanese league.

Mackinnon, name and talent aside, is also a perfect fit for the Bullets roster Weaver is putting together, given their need for perimeter shooting and scoring -especially considering it is widely believed Casey Prather is on his way to another team.