Mavericks have quietly found the ultimate Wembanyama kryptonite for years to come

While the Dallas Mavericks still have media day, training camp, and preseason to attend to before they can kick off regular season action, Mavericks fans are counting down the days till Dallas' home-opening game versus the San Antonio Spurs on October 22. This will be the third season in a row the Mavericks will be playing the Spurs for their first game of the season, as there could potentially be a rebirth of the classic Mavericks-Spurs rivalry with both teams now projecting to have bright futures.

Mavericks fans know all too well that Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama could be morphing into one of the most unstoppable NBA players of all time, especially if he can stay healthy throughout the course of his career, as it's fairly safe to say the Mavericks haven't come close to seeing the fully developed version of Wembanyama yet.

However, the Mavericks might be better equipped compared to any team in the league when it comes to their ability to limit Wembanyama for the foreseeable future, as Dallas has 21-year-old center Dereck Lively II and 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg as projected starters in their frontcourt for what is hopefully a long time.

Flagg & Lively II will be a formidable frontcourt vs Wembanyama for years

While no one can flat-out stop a 7-foot-5 big man that has range from deep and some guard skills when it comes to his shot creation ability, Lively II has done a great job as an individual defender on Wembanyama in the past. Lively II is 7-foot-1 himself and has tremendous length and athletic ability, especially when he's fully healthy, as he's proven to be able to move his feet on the perimeter better than most bigs in the league.

To offset Wembanyama in any capacity, having multiple athletic centers and bigger-bodied wings is to throw at him is the best formula to try and limit his production, as he needs to see different looks defensively and be pestered by length and physicality if a team has any chance of slowing him down. With Flagg being 6-foot-9, extremely athletic, and still not having filled out his frame completely, he's yet another capable big body the Mavericks will be able to throw on Wembanyama from time to time for years to come, especially when Flagg is guarding him on the perimeter.

Who knows if the Mavericks will still be committed to big-ball by the time Lively II and Flagg are both on their second contracts in the league, but as far as Dallas' current personnel is concerned, the Mavericks easily have one of the best rosters in the league in terms of their rim protection, and this will hopefully help them immensely against Wembanyama on October 22.

To be clear, a peaked-out Wembanyama truly may have no antidote, but the Mavericks have done their due diligence when it comes to recognizing the shift in the league of more teams playing two-big lineups to stop dynamic bigs like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Wembanyama. After the Cleveland Cavaliers did so in recent seasons, the Mavericks were one of the only other teams in the league to commit to a larger identity last season, and now their division rivals in the Spurs and Houston Rockets, have both geared up to be able to counter a team like the Mavericks. The Southwest Division projects to be tumultuous, big, and physical in the coming seasons, but Dallas is as ready as any team for this shift.