Only one representative from the Chicago Bulls is heading to the Bay Area to compete in the NBA’s annual All-Star festivities. That player is no other than rookie Matas Buzelis. The 20-year-old is slated to compete in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.
Aside from Buzelis, reigning Dunk Contest champion and Orlando Magic two-way signee Mac McClung, Milwaukee Bucks’ shooting guard Andre Jackson Jr., and fellow rookie San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle complete the field of four participants.
Only McClung has participated in the dunk contest before. The high-flying guard is a two-time dunk contest champion, winning in back-to-back years, 2023 and 2024. McClung bested Kenyon Martin Jr., Jericho Sims, and Trey Murphy III in 2023 to be crowned champion. He recorded a perfect score on three of his four attempts. McClung went up against Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jacob Toppin a year later. The 6-foot-2 guard’s dunk over Shaquille O’Neal sealed the victory, as he earned a perfect score to fend off Brown.
Consecutive wins and dunk contest experience paint McClung as the obvious favorite, but the field is stronger than advertised. Buzelis, Castle, and Jackson Jr. are all powerful dunkers, capable of throwing down poster-worthy jams on just about anyone in the league. Before diving into our prediction, we’ll break down each contestant.
Breaking down each contestant
Mac McClung
In five career games in three professional seasons, McClung has thrown down two dunks, both coming in 2022-23 for the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s not much NBA in-game tape to dissect McClung’s dunk repertoire. However, his high school, college, and G-League highlight reels are filled with jaw-dropping slams.
McClung is an elite, two-foot jumper who specializes in double-clutch reverse jams. Three of his four dunks in the 2023 dunk contest were two-handed reverse jams. The lone slam that wasn’t was a two-handed, 360 windmill, which earned him a perfect 50. 2024 went similarly. Again, all but one of McClung’s dunks were of the two-handed, reverse variety. Nonetheless, his reverse dunk, jumping over Shaq, was phenomenal.
Andre Jackson Jr.
Jackson Jr. is unlike the other contestants in that he prefers to explode off one leg. The former UConn Husky has never demonstrated much variety in his jams, typically opting for a powerful, two-handed slam. He excels in the open court and following misses to throw-down putback dunks.
Jackson Jr.’s advantage over the field is his one-foot jumping approach, which allows him to take off from wherever. The 6-foot-6 guard won’t be relegated to taking off near the rim in the dunk contest. He’ll be able to pull from the Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, and Zach LaVine schools of free-throw-line-extended dunks if need be.
Stephon Castle
Surprisingly, the 6-foot-6-inch Castle has recorded more dunks than anyone in the field. In 51 appearances, Castle has thrown down 42 jams. The rookie has displayed more variety than most. He’s normally a two-foot, two-hand dunker. However, Castle has routinely jumped off one leg and also resorted to using only one hand. Moreover, he’s one of the few to throw down windmills in-game.
Castle has the 26th and 35th-best dunks according to NBA.com’s ‘Dunk Score’ this season. Both referenced slams were of the two-foot, two-hand, poster variety. Castle certainly has the power, but his creation will be tested. Although it hasn’t been shown as often as McClung, there’s reason to believe the UConn product is on par with his counterpart. Castle has demonstrated a unique ability to appear completely in control amid an acrobatic finish.
Matas Buzelis
Finally, the tallest participant (usually a disadvantage) in the field, Chicago’s very own Buzelis. At 6-foot-10 with a lanky build, Buzelis is an outlier in this field. The rookie shows similarities to his counterparts in how he converts his slams. He’s a two-foot jumper who prefers a two-hand jam. However, he has thrown down plenty of one-handers, which better demonstrates his length, thus increasing power.
Buzelis competed in a dunk contest alongside Castle in the 2023 Powerade Jam Fest. Then, he relied on twisting, between-the-leg jams to wow the judges. While a between-the-legs dunk in-game is rare, Buzelis likely brings it out in Saturday’s contest.
Predicting the dunk contest champion
McClung is the heavy favorite, followed by Jackson Jr. and the two rookies, Buzelis and Castle. Seeing the reigning champion advance to the final round will be no surprise. McClung’s experience, combined with his high-flying acrobatics, make him a shoo-in. He’s on another level than the rest of the field.
Projecting McClung’s challenger into the finals is a tall task. Jackson Jr. has the explosion, Castle has the power, and Buzelis has the hang time. Of the three youngsters, two have relevant experience—Castle and Buzelis. Jackson Jr. is a powerful in-game dunker, but his acrobatics have yet to be seen. Therefore, the prediction is between the two rookies.
While Buzelis has put his athleticism on display time and time again, from high school to the G-League, Castle builds upon momentum from a Rising Stars MVP to advance to the finals against McClung. At 6-foot-6, Castle is the ideal size of a dunk contest participant. He’s also the sole candidate to throw down stylish jams in-game (whether that matters or not).
A final between Castle and McClung will surely be fun. After much ridicule that the dunk contest no longer features star power, the San Antonio guard is one of the most intriguing up-and-comers in the NBA. There’s a chance Castle sees a LaVine-like rise—both guards’ rookie year stats are eerily similar.
Castle upsets McClung in the finals as he continues to build momentum from a stellar weekend. The dunk contest has only seen one three-time winner, Nate Robinson, who did not do it consecutively. The trend remains as Castle surprises the judges with unique dunks to rebound from a porous showing in the Powerade Jame Fest two years ago.
