3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' thrilling opening win over the Spurs

In an extremely exciting season opener game where we got to see Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson make their trio debut, the Dallas Mavericks took down the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 120-109.

In the first half of the game, the Mavericks were off to a very slow start from the field, but what was most impressive was their team defense on Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama finished the game with 17 points and shot 5-18 from the field.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' thrilling opening win over the Spurs

With the Mavericks' win tonight, they start off the season with a 1-0 record and are tied for the first seed in the Western Conference.

There were plenty of positives to take away from this game, and Dallas' big three led the way.

5. Stud - Luka Doncic

With Luka Doncic missing almost all of training camp and the whole preseason, it was expected that he would be a little rusty.

Doncic started the first half off with just nine points and shot a mediocre 4-14 from the field, while also missing all of his five three-point attempts.

In the beginning of the second half though, he flipped the switch. Doncic was doing everything. From behind-the-head passes, to step-back 3-pointers, to an absurd amount of assists to Thompson, he showcased all of his talents.

Something that Jason Kidd has emphasized in the past is that Doncic will have to take on more of a workload on the defensive end of the floor as well.

Throughout the whole game, what stood out the most was his defensive mentality. Doncic was protecting the rim, tipping the ball in passing lanes, and showing a great amount of hustle.

It's clear that the Luka-Klay connection is very legit, as Doncic was seen multiple times turning around before Thompson's threes would hit the net.

Doncic finished the game with 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and shot 9-25 from the field.

4. Dud - Naji Marshall

In his official Mavericks debut, Naji Marshall didn't have quite the performance fans were anticipating.

Throughout the night, Marshall struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive side of the floor.

In his 21 minutes on the floor, Marshall was only able to score two points and shot 1-6.

Although his shots weren't going down, he still found a way to make an impact on the game while finishing with three assists. He also made a very solid defensive impact on the floor in both halves.

Marshall has the type of skillset that Doncic loves to play with. An elite defender, 3-point shooter, and someone who isn't afraid to do the dirty work.

The beauty of it is that it's only game one, and there are 81 games remaining. Marshall will have a lot of time to acclimate to the Mavericks system. There's no doubt that Marshall will be a big piece for this team and he'll be one of the key factors and helping the Mavericks get back to the NBA Finals.

Expect Marshall to have a big task come Saturday night, as the Mavericks will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns. As we saw Marshall play a lot of minutes at the small forward and power forward position, there should be many times that he will have to find a way to stop Kevin Durant.

3. Stud - Dereck Lively II

One of the biggest topics coming into the season opener was if Jason Kidd would decide to start Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II.

Kidd decided to start Gafford, but the center that brought the league to notice in the Mavericks win was Lively II.

In an outstanding performance while being matched up with Victor Wembanyama, Lively II finished the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and shot 6-8 from the floor in 28 minutes.

Lively II was great on both ends of the floor. On multiple possessions, there were times where he would completely take Wembanyama out of his comfort zone and either force a turnover, or a bad shot.

Offensively, it was obvious that Lively II has taken his game to the next level. From finishing lobs, to dropping dimes, to making left-handed shots, he was nothing short of impressive.

Lively II has spent much time in the offseason and preseason working with Mavericks assistant coach, Sean Sweeny, and former elite Maverick center, Tyson Chandler. Both have made an extreme impact in the leap Lively II has started to show inside of the paint.

Although Lively II isn't in the starting lineup, he's playing like an elite starting-caliber center.

If the 7-foot-1, 20-year-old center can keep up the outstanding effort on both ends of the floor, don't be shocked when he's thrown into conversations regarding winning the NBA Most Improved Player award.

Lively II will have to continue his dominance as he will have a tough matchup against Jusuf Nurkić this coming Saturday.

2. Dud - Quentin Grimes

After having very strong preseason performances, Mavericks' fans were hoping for a great performance from Quentin Grimes in his regular season debut.

In his first regular season game inside of the American Airlines Center, Grimes struggled throughout all four quarters to get in a flow on the offensive side of the floor.

Grimes had multiple shot attempts that looked great, but couldn't get them to fall through.

It's very clear that the Mavericks coaching staff has an extreme amount of belief in his game, as he was the first player to come off the bench. With as stacked as this roster is, Grimes will have to step up his game if he wants to remain in the rotation.

In his 15 minutes on the floor, he was able to finish with a plus-minus of +11 in the win.

With strong performances from two fellow teammates that came off the bench in Jaden Hardy and Lively II, expect for there to possibly be a change in the sixth man role in the near future if Grimes isn't able to step up his game.

Grimes will have a chance to redeem himself as the Mavericks will need him to knock down his shots and play high-caliber defense on Saturday against the Suns considering their talented backcourt of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

1. Stud - Klay Thompson

In a game where fans all across the NBA were tuned in, Klay Thompson didn't shy away from having a stellar performance.

In his regular season debut with the Mavericks, Thompson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three steals and shot 6-10 from behind the arc.

Not only did Thompson dominate that stat sheet from an offensive standpoint, but he also was great on the defensive end.

A few weeks back, Thompson brought up the fact that he still wants to prove that he's an elite defender. It's clear that after his performance in the season opener, he'll be able to shut all the critics up.

Thompson made many winning plays defensively and was debatably one of the Mavericks' best defenders in the win.

The hot topic in the win though, was the immediate chemistry he had with Luka Doncic. On multiple occasions, it seemed like they instantly knew where each other was on the floor. There was no hesitation or second guesses from Doncic when he would attempt to get Thompson the ball.

While the season just started, it's quite obvious that Thompson was the missing piece in the Mavericks roster. With his ability to shoot the ball at a high volume, while also playing good defense, there's no doubt he'll be able to help this team reach their goals.

With having a scoring trio of Doncic, Irving, and Thompson all on the same team, the sky's the limit. If the Mavericks continue to play solid defense and have multiple players contribute on the offensive side as well, there could be a possible discussion as to them finishing as the first seed in the Western Conference.

For the latest news and updates on Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.