Morez Johnson Jr. was called a junkyard dog and Michigan basketball’s enforcer.
After one standout season with the Wolverines, he added another moniker to the mix: a lottery pick.
Johnson was selected No. 9 overall by the Mavericks in the NBA Draft on Tuesday night and will head to Dallas, where he’ll reunite with Dusty May at the next level.
“I think he had a little bit, but not too much (influence),” Johnson said on the ESPN broadcast of being picked by the Mavericks hours after the team officially announced May’s hiring as head coach. “It’s crazy, man. We’ve got work to do. Back to work.”
Johnson was the first of the three Michigan players to be taken in the lottery in the span of four picks, with Yaxel Lendeborg going No. 11 to Golden State Warriors and Aday Mara going No. 12 to Oklahoma City Thunder. It marked the first time in program history Michigan had three lottery picks in the same draft.
But out of that frontcourt trio, Johnson is the one who isn’t done playing for May just yet.
“It’s insane. The Michigan Mavs,” Johnson said on the ESPN broadcast. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I’m excited to do it with my coach. We won together this past season. I’m looking forward to winning with him with the Mavs.”
After making only eight starts during his freshman season at Illinois, Johnson transferred to Michigan, became a full-time starter and displayed more of his game on a team that won the national title.
On offense, he proved he was more than just a rim runner and lob threat. He expanded his range and shot 34.3% from 3-point range (12-for-35) after not attempting a single shot from deep as a freshman. On defense, he showed he’s a versatile frontcourt defender who can roam the perimeter and switch screens. On both ends, he destroyed the glass as a relentless rebounder.
The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.3% from the field. He earned All-Big Ten honors, was named to the conference’s All-Defensive team, and boosted his draft stock with a strong showing in the athletic testing and shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine.
While some NBA teams may view him as a forward and others as a center, Johnson made it known during the pre-draft process he’s comfortable playing either position like he did for the Wolverines.
“I’m someone that can do both,” Johnson, 20, said at the combine last month. “I think that’s what separates me from a lot of guys at the combine, being able to guard one through five. Then being able to play the four and five offensively, being a great connected piece, and I showed I can space the floor.
“I think that shows GMs and teams that I’m able to play different roles and able to be input in any system because I did so many different things this year for Michigan.”
With his physicality, athletic ability, length and motor, Johnson possesses all the physical tools required to be an impactful NBA defender and be disruptive in different ball screen coverages.
“His ability to guard one-on-one with his size and strength on the perimeter was probably the most pleasant surprise,” May said on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” last month. “Also his intelligence, as far as (guarding) smaller guards out while switching, he had a really good awareness of what was going on around him, and he had great synergy with his teammates.”
Though Johnson has some offensive limitations — “everything can be polished, of course,” he acknowledged — he feels he has room to grow and show more on that end, whether it’s putting the ball on the floor to relieve pressure or becoming more comfortable from shooting outside.
That latter part is an area May thinks that can be tapped into more at the NBA level after Johnson provided flashes of his perimeter shooting this past season, which Michigan’s coaching staff encouraged.
“It was more along the lines of this guy is going to get every rebound, he’s going to be the most physical, he’s going to do all this dirty work, he deserves the right to shoot a 3, even if he doesn’t shoot them well,” May said. “Then when he started shooting well, we’re like, whoa, this has worked out better than we even anticipated. It’s a credit to him and the staff for the amount of time they spent working on his game. He’s robotic in his approach. He’s got a routine and he sticks with it. I think he’s going to be a very good spot-up shooter in the NBA.”
That said, Johnson’s focus is doing whatever it takes and playing whatever role the Mavericks need to win. May knows that more than anybody.
“He’s ready to step in and help a good team right away or help a rebuilding team establish a style of play and a culture,” May said. “He checks a lot of boxes.”
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
@jamesbhawkins
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan’s Morez Johnson drafted ninth by Dallas, reunited with Dusty May
Reporting by James Hawkins, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By James Hawkins, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
