Victor Wembanyama is expected to be one of the elite players in the NBA very soon, but Luka Doncic is comfortably at that level already. The San Antonio Spurs center attempted to use his size advantage on the Dallas Mavericks point guard in the low post during the second quarter before the latter turned the tables on the former.

Doncic wisely moved out of the way and poked the ball loose as Wembanyama fell to the ground. The nifty maneuver led to a thrilling Mavs' fast break, which culminated with an emphatic and-one dunk by Dereck Lively II. Although the big man missed the free throw to complete the three-point play, Dallas injected the American Airlines Center with a welcome dose of energy in its first game of the season.

Moreover, the sensational Slovenian pulled off an impressive veteran move on the young, phenomenal Frenchman. Wembanyama's time near or at the top of the NBA superstar apex will come, assuming he stays healthy of course, but Doncic also figures to be a juggernaut for the years to come. If San Antonio can take a noticeable leap forward in 2024-25, fans should be treated to the renewal of this classic Lone Star State hoops rivalry.

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Will the Mavericks and Spurs soon be on a collision course?

Both franchises made key offseason additions designed to respectively elevate them to the next level. The Mavericks acquired all-time great shooter Klay Thompson to strengthen their championship contender status, while the Spurs signed a future Hall of Famer in their own right, calling upon Chris Paul to expedite the rebuild. They are expected to wind up in completely different places at the end of this campaign, but their paths could converge in the imminent future.

Ironically enough, Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama are both struggling from the field in the season opener. Both stars hope to shake off the rust by the time the final buzzer sounds.