Anthony Davis may have just erased his biggest Mavericks flaw

Anthony Davis has to shoot well from downtown for the Dallas Mavericks' double-big plan to have any shot at working this year, and his first game of the season was an excellent start toward reaching that goal. Against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, Davis drilled two 3-pointers on four shots from beyond the arc, proving that he can be a valuable floor spacer when needed.

Davis had a solid start to his first full season in Dallas, as he finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, and one block, and while he wasn't the most efficient on his mid-range jumpers (mostly due to Victor Wembanyama's other-worldly defensive presence altering his confidence), his threes were a different story.

He looked confident in his jumper as he made both of his threes near the top of the key (and missed two from there as well), and this could end up being a great sign of what's to come this season if he can keep it up.

Anthony Davis kicks off season by silencing doubts from downtown

Last season for the Mavs, Davis shot 23.3 percent from three on 3.3 attempts per game in nine games, and this was clearly an area that he had to improve upon over the offseason. Mavericks fans knew the elite defense that they were going to get out of Davis every single night, but he had to step it up as a shooter if he wanted to play power forward and be an All-NBA-type guy in Dallas.

Davis has been vocal about his preference to play power forward for years, despite mainly playing center during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas granted him his wish right away. Even though he didn't get to play much with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in his first season with the Mavs, it was clear that he was going to be a four moving forward.

The Mavs doubled down on this vision by extending Gafford's contract and picking up Lively II's fourth-year option this summer to be building blocks alongside Davis, and Davis has been vocal about the opportunity to play with these guys.

This excited him, as it would reduce the amount of wear and tear on his body throughout the season while allowing him to roam on defense, but his ability to stick and thrive at the four will all rely on his offensive game.

"We know how dominant we can be when we all healthy and available, it’s just about us going out there and enforcing our dominance," Davis said when asked about playing alongside Lively II and Gafford last season.

The Mavericks will need him to continue to knock down threes at a high rate for the duration of the season, especially while Kyrie Irving is out, and this is one of the many things that could make or break this first stretch of the season. Dallas' floor spacing clearly needs some work, and Davis' shooting could end up being one of the many ways that they can get this moving in the right direction (along with better guard play and creation).

Now isn't the time for Mavericks fans to panic, regardless of the score against San Antonio on Wednesday night, and things should look much different as the season goes along and their offense can find a groove. Davis will be a big part of this, as Jason Kidd likes to run the offense through him, and his 3-point shooting will be one of the many factors that could prove he has what it takes to be a No. 1 option in today's NBA.