Ranking the 5 most important Mavericks games of 2023-24 schedule

5. Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs, October 25 (Opening Night)

The first game of the Dallas Mavericks season. Get your popcorn ready to watch Luka Doncic and Co. square off against the number one overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, and the upstart San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs field one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. Their starting five will most likely consist of all players aged 24 years old or younger.

The main attraction here is the aforementioned Wembanyama. The French phenom entered the NBA with arguably the most hype since LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Perhaps the rarest prospect ever seen, Wembanyama stands at 7-foot-5 with a pterodactyl-like eight-foot wingspan.

Surely, Wembanyama will cause headaches for opposing offenses and defenses for years to come, but what will he look like on Opening Night? Some project the 19-year-old to nearly average 20 and 10 in his first season, while others project Wemby to have a so-so inaugural campaign.

The tone will be set for Wembanyama's season from Day 1 against the Mavs. Although this matchup may not be a good indicator of what's to come for Dallas, fans will get to see what the new-look roster looks like against a young, gritty squad.

No Gregg Popovich-led team should be taken lightly, and the Mavericks are assuredly aware of this. Popovich is 65-41 all-time vs. Dallas. Perhaps the Mavs can inch that record closer to .500 over the course of the next few years.

It all begins October 25, as the NBA world will get a chance to watch one of the most-hyped prospects in NBA history take on the Slovenian Wonder Boy in Doncic.