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

Wembanyama posted 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks per game on just under 47% shooting from the floor in a successful rookie season in which he received little help from the rest of the Spurs’ roster.

San Antonio made notable changes in the offseason that improved its roster, including the signing of veteran Chris Paul, who should help alleviate the guard play issues that plagued the Spurs last season.

Here’s a breakdown of Thursday night’s Texas showdown between the Spurs and Mavs with a prediction and tip.

Spurs vs Mavericks odds

Spurs vs Mavericks prediction

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

Even without Vassell on the court, San Antonio still has options to replace him, including rookie Stephon Castle, a 6-foot-2 combo guard who provides switchability on the defensive side of the court and playmaking on the other side points.

Castle impressed in the preseason with 11 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. Those PER-36 averages would be on par with many experienced starters in the league.

In addition to Castle and Paul, the Spurs will also field the Jeremy Sochan-Wembanyama combination, which will undoubtedly be one of the most troublesome defensive-frontcourt duos in the NBA this season.

Additionally, Harrison Barnes also provides a consistent veteran presence in the small forward slot to provide secondary scoring.

Depth is somewhat of an issue for San Antonio, but coach Gregg Popovich won’t be afraid to let his starters play plenty of minutes this season as the Spurs have a slim chance of competing for a playoff spot in Wembanyama’s second season .

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

This could lead to more backdoor coverage for opponents this season as these two appear late in games.

Spurs vs. Mavericks selection

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

Betting on the NBA?

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

Pick: Spurs +7.5 (-110, BetMGM)

Why you should trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton hinders the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved an outstanding 14.1% ROI by cashing in 60% of his NBA spread picks and led Tallysight in the SportsIQ metric.