Victor Wembanyama’s second campaign kicks off on Thursday night when the San Antonio Spurs take on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks.

Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting just under 47% from the floor in a successful rookie season in which he didn’t get much help from the rest of the Spurs -selection.

San Antonio made notable changes this offseason that improved the roster, including the addition of veteran Chris Paul, who should help alleviate the playmaking woes of the guards that haunted the Spurs last season.

Here’s a look at Thursday night’s showdown in Texas between the Spurs and Mavs, with a prediction and picks.

Spurs vs. Mavericks Odds

Spurs vs. Maverick’s prediction

Dante Exum will miss the game for Dallas after undergoing wrist surgery a few weeks ago, while the Spurs will be without stalwart shotmaker Devin Vassell, who was objectively the second-best player for them last season.

Even without Vassell on the floor, San Antonio still has options to replace him, including rookie Stephon Castle, a 6-foot-4 combo guard who provides switching options on the defensive end of the floor and playmaking and scoring on the other end .

Castle impressed in the preseason, posting 11 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. Those PER 36s averages could rival many experienced starters in the league.

In addition to Castle and Paul, the Spurs will also roll out the Jeremy Sochan-Wembanyama combo, which will undoubtedly be one of the most annoying defensive-forward duos in the NBA this season.

Furthermore, Harrison Barnes also provides a steady veteran presence at the small forward position to add secondary scoring.

Depth is a bit of an issue for San Antonio, but coach Gregg Popovich won’t shy away from getting his starters to play significant minutes this season as there’s an outside chance the Spurs could compete for a playoff spot in the second season of Wembanyama. .

Meanwhile, Mavs coach Jason Kidd has stated that he would like to give his veterans more rest after Doncic averaged 37.5 minutes last season and Irving averaged 35 minutes.

That could result in more backdoor coverage for opponents this season, with those two coming off the floor late in games.

Spurs vs. Mavericks pick

The Spurs will be underrated for at least a few games early in the season, and I’m still not entirely convinced that the Mavericks are a true championship team.

Bet on the NBA?

This is a good place to view San Antonio and the points.

Pick: Spurs +7.5 (-110, BetMGM)

Why trust New York Post betting

Andrew Norton has handicapped in the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-2023 NBA season, he delivered an eye-popping 14.1% ROI, cashed in on 60% of his NBA spread picks and led Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.