What to Watch For in Dallas Mavericks Season Opener

The Dallas Mavericks open their NBA season tonight against the Atlanta Hawks at the American Airlines Center. This is the moment we have all been waiting for, so what do Mavs fans need to be watching for tonight?

It’s here people, this is not a drill. When the Dallas Mavericks did not make the playoffs last season, everyone knew that it was going to be a long summer before the next season began. The offseason was full of excitement and hype, but nothing can take the place of actual NBA basketball.

Now, nothing has to anymore.

The Mavs will open up the season this evening against an Atlanta Hawks team that got hit hard in free agency this summer. Although the team has fallen apart in a lot of ways, that does not mean they are unable to put up a fight. The Hawks will be led by Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, and Marco Belinelli, with other contributors in Ersan Ilyasova, Dewayne Dedmon, and new rookie, John Collins.

The Mavericks will also introduce a handful of new players this evening with many new roster additions from last year’s team. Tonight will be the official Mavs debut of Josh McRoberts, Jeff Withey, Maxi Kleber, and of course, Dennis Smith Jr. We may also get a glimpse of two-way contract players, Johnathan Motley and Gian Clavell.

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 12: Taurean Prince #12 defends as Dewayne Dedmon #14 of the Atlanta Hawks reaches for a steal against Dennis Smith Jr. #1 of the Dallas Mavericks at McCamish Pavilion on October 12, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Mavs will definitely be without Seth Curry tonight who is set to miss at least the first three games of the season. Missing Curry may slow down the firepower of the Mavs offense, but Dallas still has reasonable backups. Other injury news is not yet available, so we will have to wait and see who else Dallas may be without.

With that said, here are two things to keep an eye out for from the Dallas Mavericks tonight.

The Obvious

It is going to be a packed house tonight in the AAC primarily because everyone cannot wait to get a glimpse of Dennis Smith Jr. against legitimate NBA talent. There may be some growing pains and some head scratching moments, but I expect at least one highlight dunk coming our way.

The Less Obvious

Someone who has been talked about very little considering his integral part with the Mavericks team is Wesley Matthews. Although he took a lot of flack for his performance last season, it should be mentioned that he did compete in the three-point contest in last year’s All-Star Weekend. He did not perform great but it is a reminder that his long distance shooting was up-to-snuff for the first half of last year. Maybe it’ll be back again this year.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: One Day Left Until Debut of #1

There will be a lot of excitement tonight as we are all anticipating the beginning of the Mavs season, but for now, we just have to wait a few more hours. The Mavs and Hawks will tip-off tonight at 7:30 central time. Follow us on Twitter @TheSmokingCuban for live game tweeting.

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