Dallas will be taking on the San Antonio Spurs for the third year in a row, and this one comes with some fascinating storylines. There's the obvious about Cooper Flagg making his NBA regular-season debut. He passed the tests in the Summer League and the preseason, but it'll be an entirely different animal in the regular season.

By the end of the night Wednesday, the Spurs will have more game tape of Flagg to pore over. They can only hope it isn't a horror film. This article originally published at Primetime matchup: Spurs, Victor Wembanyama open season vs. Mavericks, phenom Cooper Flagg.

There’s a chance Flagg could start at point guard, just as he did in the final two games of the preseason. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd admitted that he knew who his starting lineup would be for Wednesday, but held his cards close to his chest and wouldn’t reveal the first unit.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama praised Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg ahead of the two teams' season opener Wednesday night

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However, it is his defensive potential that has sparked intrigue and according to Kendrick Perkins, Flagg's combination of high basketball IQ and a 6'9" frame ensures that he will not be overpowered, even when switching across multiple positions.