Mavericks are perfectly equipped to rival the Thunder

Like Oklahoma City, who defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals to capture its first championship in franchise history, Dallas is loaded with talent in the frontcourt and backcourt. 

Both teams boast scoring-centric point guards with playoff pedigrees in Irving and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While Irving has never reached the MVP heights of Gilgeous-Alexander, the nine-time All-Star is a proven playoff performer that should be able to compete with the scoring title winner when he's healthy. 

In the frontcourt, the Mavs and Thunder both possess elite rim protectors with two-way potential to score in bunches in Anthony Davis and Chet Holmgren. Holmgren was exceptional in the Finals bout with Indiana, becoming the youngest player with 10 or more blocks in a Finals series since Hall of Famer Tim Duncan did so in 2005.

Despite the former No. 2 pick flashing immense potential in the Finals, the frontcourt advantage belongs to Dallas, who will be led by the 10-time All-Star and NBA champion Davis.

In just nine games, Davis showed Dallas fans exactly what to expect moving forward, averaging 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, which was tied with Holmgren for the third-highest average in the league.

Taking a look at how Dallas' wing players matches up with the Thunder, the comparison hinges on Flagg delivering the goods in Dallas.

Should he perform up to (or beyond) his massive potential, Flagg projects to be a competent sparring partner against Jalen Williams, who earned his first All-Star selection last season with OKC.

Like Williams, Flagg is a dynamic, three-level scorer with sneaky athleticism. Plus, both budding stars have shown promise on the defensive floor, too. Williams was named to the NBA All-Defense second team last season and Flagg could develop into a better defender in the pros than he was at Duke. 

Dallas not only matches up with the Thunder's top three contributors well, but also boast excellent depth, similar to Oklahoma City.

With P.J Washington, Daniel Gafford and (eventually) the former All-Star Russell coming off the bench, the Mavericks should be able to doll out high-quality lineups for all 48 minutes next season.