The Dallas Mavericks defeated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night to notch their first victory of the 2025 NBA preseason.

Despite limited minutes for most of the team’s stars, the game offered an early glimpse into Dallas’ potential for the season ahead. The Mavericks will look to build on this win as they aim to solidify their status as one of the Western Conference’s top contenders.

Here are the two biggest takeaways from the preseason opener:

Cooper Flagg Already Looks NBA-Ready

Most NBA rookies need time to adjust before becoming difference-makers, but Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg already appears poised to contribute right away.

Flagg logged just 10 minutes in his preseason debut but delivered one of the night’s most impressive performances — 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one block. More importantly, those stats came from a variety of plays on both ends of the floor, showcasing his versatility and poise against several Thunder players expected to see major minutes this season.

The most encouraging aspect of this performance is that these statistics came in various forms, as Flagg displayed his expertise from all areas of the floor to help the team.

Additionally, many of these plays came against players on the Thunder who are expected to see significant minutes in the upcoming season, meaning he was making plays against some of the best role players in the NBA.

Realistically, Dallas will need Flagg to contribute early in the season if the team is looking to compete at a high level, as guard Kyrie Irving is expected to be out until midseason while recovering from a torn ACL.

While Flagg might not be an NBA All-Star in his rookie season, as very few players are, he already looks ready to contribute to winning at a high level.

Early Starting Lineup Look

Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd has repeatedly stated that he does not plan to reveal the team’s starting unit until the beginning of the season, yet the starting lineup from the team’s first preseason matchup could be an early indication of what that group will look like.

Kidd opted to roll with a starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II, which is seemingly the most likely group to start the majority of games for the team this season.

One notable change from previous seasons comes with forward P.J. Washington, who was the team’s first player off the bench and could continue in that role moving forward.

Since being traded to Dallas during the 2023-24 season, Washington has been a consistent member of the team’s starting unit, appearing in 86 total games for the team and starting in 84 of those games.

Dallas would be unwise to bring Flagg off the bench after spending the first overall pick on the phenom forward, meaning Washington is likely to come off the bench for the majority of the upcoming season.

Additionally, the starting unit from the first preseason game offers the best combination of shooting, playmaking, size, and defense, which is the key to a group being successful throughout a lengthy regular season.

While Dallas could look to experiment with different units during the year, the starting lineup from Monday’s victory is likely to remain in place for much of the regular season.