After years of bouncing from team to team, the guard is finally comfortable with Buducnost
Buducnost’s Mays looking to return to the joy of seven-year-old Skylar
Player Spotlight
9 Lesezeit
Don’t be surprised to see Skylar Mays smiling on the court in the BKT EuroCup. After a number of tough years trying to make the highest stages of basketball, the Buducnost VOLI Podgorica guard is focused on something else – finding the love of the game he had when he was seven years old.
Mays has helped Buducnost to a 4-2 record in Group B of the EuroCup with 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals.
“We’re all interested in winning and in the sacrifice that comes with it. We’re continuing to learn to lean on our depth. We feel like we have strength in numbers – very strong 11 to 12 guys – and that’s going to benefit us throughout the ups and downs of the season and the everyday grind,” Mays told David Hein.
Mays knows all too well about the everyday grind season over season and the uncertainty he has experienced the last few years trying to make the NBA. The Louisiana native was selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He spent four seasons bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G-League, playing a total of 105 regular season games over the four years with three different NBA teams.
“The hardest part is staying ready when you’re not playing much. You might go weeks without seeing the court, and when your chance comes, you have to be great. You’re always fighting to move up the depth chart. It’s one thing to make it to the NBA; it’s another to stick,” said the 28-year-old Mays, who averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 assists in 10 minutes per game across 105 NBA regular-season games. “There are a lot of talented guys who just don’t get the chance to show it. You have to stay mentally strong and be confident even when you’re sitting.”
Before the 2024-25 campaign, EuroLeague side EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was interested in bringing in the 1.94-meter tall Mays. But he wanted to make the Minnesota Timberwolves through training camp. Things did not work out and he decided it was time to try the European market instead of a return to the G League.
Within a week of being released by Minnesota in late October 2024, Mays was in Türkiye with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. He played just 14 games with the Turkish team, averaging 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Fenerbahce released Mays three months later at the end of January 2025 as his debut did not go as hoped.
“Last year was tough. Coming to a team like Fenerbahce, with a coach trying to win it all and so much talent, without a training camp, and trying to figure it out on the fly, it was difficult,” said Mays, who started two EuroLeague games. “I have a better understanding now of why Saras [Jasikevicius] didn’t have time to give me a longer leash. I have no regrets. I’m just happy to be playing basketball, learning and getting better.”
Mays wishes the circumstances had made it easier for Jasikevicius to get a fair assessment of his abilities.
“I didn’t play many minutes. So I gave myself grace. I know I’m a better player than I was able to show there, and that’s a motivating factor for me this year,” he said. “It was a culture shock – new country, new system. And when I wasn’t getting playing time, it was hard because I was hungry to play.”
Mays decided it was best to go back to the United States and finish the season in the G League as he prepared for his next opportunity. He signed early on in the summer with Buducnost, doing so at the end of July, after a good conversation with head coach Andrej Zakelj.
“He had a vision for how he wanted to use me, help me learn the European game and coach me hard. That was the main thing. I just wanted a coach who’d be honest and push me every day. He’s done that, and I feel like I’ve grown because of it,” he said. “He calls me out on my mistakes. Holds me accountable in practice and games. He holds me to a standard of making winning plays every night.”
The main thing for Mays was actually to have a training camp with a team and a chance to start the season with the team from day one.
“This is my sixth year as a pro, and this is my first year where I feel like I'm actually going to be able to get that,” he said.
“I feel like I'm putting on the same jersey, seeing the same guys in the locker room, and that’s what every player wants. And it’s not the story of every player. But I feel like it’s such a big part of being consistent, having some type of routine. It helps to see the same guys every day and build a rapport and build rapport with a coach and to find out where you fit in a team.”
Mays is all about enjoying his space in the team – and regaining the love of the game he had a long time ago.
“It’s vital for me. I’m not even a guy that looks at stats anymore. I’m trying to get back to that purity of when I was seven years old, and I didn’t even know what a stat sheet was,” he said.
“When you try to keep basketball there, that’s brought me the most joy. And I’m really fighting for that joy right now, because I’ve dealt with a long stretch of not having a chance to play. When you go through years and years of that, you just appreciate the ability to just tie your shoes up and go run out there and just play and not deal with the stresses of numbers or efficiency.”
When asked how close he is to getting back to that seven-year-old Skylar, he said: “I’d say I’m on my way.”
You can see that when he breaks out in a smile on the court, enjoying the game again.