Victor Wembanyama slaps Mavericks with brutal truth even Luka Doncic couldn't help

The Dallas Mavericks' season is finally here, and in a matter of seconds, Dallas' season opener against the San Antonio Spurs was stomped on by Victor Wembanyama. Not only would the Mavericks fall apart as a team by the end of the second quarter, but Wembanyama's mere presence was enough to affect Dallas' entire game plan.

Wembanyama would top off his night in Dallas with 40 points, 15 rebounds, and a game-changing three-shot deflections. However, something that won't show up in the box score - Wembanyama has solidified himself as Texas' true No. 1 superstar.

From the Mavericks' Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving to the Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant, Wembanyama's 40-point debut in just his third NBA season will live in the minds of Dallas fans forever. It may sound like a harsh reality, but this would have been the outcome for Texas's three teams even if the Mavericks had kept Luka Doncic instead of trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers during last season's trade deadline.

There's nothing the Mavs could have done to prepare for Wembanyama

There's no doubt that Wembanyama's mindset during the season opener was to send a message to all basketball fans that he is ready to stamp his name as one of the league's top five players. For the Mavericks, it makes this situation even worse, considering they already had a bonified top top-five player in the NBA before trading Doncic to the Lakers for little to no reason.

While the Mavericks would luck out in the offseason by winning the draft rights to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, it's hard not to imagine that Mavericks fans may still be a little salty seeing what Wembanyama just did on the Mavericks' home floor. To make matters even worse for Dallas fans, the team appeared to go all-in on size and defense over this offseason, and in a matter of minutes, Wembanyma's presence was enough to have Dallas' front office thinking twice about the moves they made.

With the Spurs dropping 125 points in the first game of the season, fans are already questioning if Dallas' defense can withstand the threshold that many NBA experts believe the Mavericks' defense needs to be in. Many members of the media and fans believe that the Mavericks' defense needs to rank within the top three in the league if the team is going to have any chance at making the playoffs or a splash in the regular season, and only one game into the season, that dream may already be crushed.

No doubt had the Mavericks not traded away Doncic on such a short whim that he and Wembanyama could have created for one of Texas' all-time rivalries and would have likely dueled it out in the season opener, but as things stand, the Mavericks just don't have the firepower to compete with a team like San Antonio, even with Davis.

For Davis, it was almost within a matter of minutes that he was getting beaten on the glass and in transition by San Antonio's quicker offense. To make matters worse, the Mavericks would get beaten 50 to 37 on the glass in what was to be considered one of Dallas' strong suits due to their size on the floor at all times.

Although it was a shocking game one of the regular season for many reasons, Mavericks fans shouldn't overreact to such a brutal loss, where one of the NBA's biggest names had a coming-out party. Assuming the Mavericks continue to struggle, then there may be means to sound the alarm bells early in the regular season and truly question what moves Nico Harrison had made at the trade deadline and in the offseason.