DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are set to play the San Antonio Spurs in their season opener on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. While plenty of attention is on Cooper Flagg's NBA debut, Dallas' depth cannot be ignored. Ahead of the game, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said the depth will be pivotal this season and gave general manager Nico Harrison a shoutout for building such a deep roster.
“That (the depth) is great to have. I think Nico has done an incredible job of putting this roster together,” Kidd told reporters. “We believe we can compete at a high level, but without our health, even with injury, we still believe we can compete at a high level because of that depth. And we will be able to show that tonight.”
Kidd said the Mavericks will start their big lineup tonight — which is expected to consist of Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. That means players such as D'Angelo Russell, Max Christie and Naji Marshall will come off the bench. Additionally, Daniel Gafford — who is currently injured — will offer even more depth when he returns.
Harrison received backlash from fans after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last year. Although the deal wasn't popular, Harrison has built a roster that features serious potential. Of course, Kyrie Irving will only help matters when he returns later in the season (Irving is currently recovering from ACL surgery).
Jason Kidd will look to lead the Mavericks to a win over the Spurs to begin the season on Wednesday night.
