NBA: Victor Wembanyama heads into debut as an underdog against Dallas Mavericks

The first pick in this year’s NBA draft is one of the most hyped prospects in recent history. The last rookie to receive this much attention for his potential was probably New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson or LeBron James. Williamson and James each scored over 20 points in their debuts. Both also lost their first NBA regular season game. The first pick in this year’s draft will debut on the night after the NBA regular season kicks off.

Betting details for Mavericks @ Spurs

First overall pick Victor Wembanyama is heading into his debut game as an underdog on NBA betting sites. The San Antonio Spurs will play the Dallas Mavericks on October 25 in San Antonio. The Spurs are +170 underdogs on BetMGM heading into their season opener. The Mavericks are favoured to win with -208 odds. The Spurs finished last season with a 22-60 record. The Mavericks finished with a 38-44 record. Both teams missed the playoffs.

The Spurs and Mavericks played four times last season, the Mavericks won three of the four games. The spread is at 4.5 for this game with the Mavericks at -4.5, the Spurs +4.5. Only one of their four games last season finished within five points last season, a 126-125 victory for the Mavericks on December 31. Every other game was won by at least nine points. The Mavericks won two games by more than 20 points, one by 21 and one by 26.

What a night for Victor Wembanyama in the Spurs W.

23 PTS
4 REB
4 AST
3 BLK

in 22 minutes 👀#NBAPreseason pic.twitter.com/3CwYgJBW5r

— NBA (@NBA) October 14, 2023

The San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the NBA draft in June. Other than Wembanyama, the organization did not make any huge moves to improve a roster that finished 22-60 last season. The Spurs have a ton of young players who will be expected to help them win games on a nightly basis. But they also have two former top ten picks in center Zach Collins and forward Jeremy Sochan.

The Spurs should lose this game. This is Wembanyama’s first professional game with his new team. Right now he is even being listed as a power forward which seems like more of an experiment than a long-term plan at first glance. Wembanyama’s defense has been mentioned as a potential game changer for the Spurs, but Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are two of the best scorers in the league. His impact should not be enough to help the Spurs win this game unless Irving and Doncic have a bad shooting night.

The Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks made a couple of noteworthy moves to add some depth to their roster this offseason. The Mavericks picked up forward Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics and Spurs. Williams averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds with the Celtics last season. The Mavericks also signed guard Seth Curry and picked up Dereck Lively II in the draft.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving failed to make the playoffs in their first season together. But this will be their first full season together, Irving was traded to the Mavericks during the season in February. The Mavericks should be able to start their season off strong with a win in this game. This is a great chance for them to find their rhythm against a young team that was one of the worst last season. A big concern is Doncic’s availability for the game. He is recovering from a left calf strain and his status for this game is uncertain.