The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks are all set to reignite their rivalry on Wednesday at the freshly christened Frost Bank Center in the NBA season opener.
With both teams missing out on last season's playoffs, they are bursting with ambition, albeit for different reasons, as they step onto the hardwood to lay claim to their postseason dreams.
The San Antonio Spurs had a less-than-stellar 2022-23 campaign, notching a disappointing 22-60 record, marking the third-worst performance in franchise history.
To add salt to the wound, they found themselves tied for the ignoble honor of the worst record in the fiercely competitive Western Conference.
However, every dark cloud has a silver lining, and for the Spurs, that came in the form of Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 (223.52-centimeter) French prodigy heralded as the most exciting NBA prospect since LeBron James.
His exceptional skills in shooting, shot-blocking and ball-handling have dazzled in the preseason, making him a standout addition to the Spurs' starting lineup.
Wembanyama will not be alone in the spotlight.
Joining him in the starting five will be the likes of Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan, former lottery picks, who will command the guard positions.
Zach Collins takes up the center role, while forward Keldon Johnson, who led the team in scoring last season with an impressive 22 points per game, continues to be a key part of the equation.
Johnson, now entering his fifth season, holds the distinction of being the longest-tenured Spur on the roster.
Collins, brimming with optimism, praises the team's chemistry in the preseason, remarking, "Everybody is growing up a little bit. We all took this summer really seriously. We all got a lot better, and I think we took all the right steps to do that."
The legendary Gregg Popovich, now in his 28th season as head coach, also weighs in on the season's focus. Known as the league's all-time winningest coach, he emphasizes the importance of winning this season, signaling a shift from the team's previous emphasis on player development. "Development is great, and all those guys needed it," Popovich acknowledges. "This year, one of the important factors to enhance that is winning."
On the other side of this Lone Star showdown, the Dallas Mavericks are eager to unleash the potential of their star guards, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The duo's chemistry is a work in progress, having only played together in a mere 16 games following Irving's arrival in a midseason trade last February.
Irving, unambiguously focused on winning, asserts, "We are here to win basketball games, and that will be the true success and true rankings at the end of the season. And that is where our focus should be."
Doncic and Irving will find reinforcement in forward Grant Williams, a recent acquisition from Boston.
While the starting lineup features these three, the other two spots remain up for grabs. Rookie Dereck Lively II appears poised to start at center, and the shooting forward position is fiercely contested between Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr. and Dante Exum.
Jason Kidd, the Mavericks' head coach, can't help but admire the camaraderie and unity of his squad as they gear up for the season. "They have competed, and they have supported one another, which is kind of cool," Kidd reflects. "This is a different team than here in the first year that I was here (in 2021-22), and then last year – this group really enjoys one another on and off the floor."
As the showdown approaches, the uncertainty of Luka Doncic's status looms large, with the star player still on the road to recovery from a mild left calf strain.
Nevertheless, with Doncic back in practice, the Mavericks have reason to be hopeful, as coach Kidd shares, "the plan is for him to practice again tomorrow, and we'll see how he feels."