2 in 1 Special

Some exciting things have happened for the Dallas Mavericks as of late. First the hiring of Dusty May and then, the NBA draft, which saw the Mavericks obtain Morez Johnson, a Michigan forward who's and excellent defender and rebounder.

The Dallas Mavericks have officially started a new chapter by hiring Dusty May as their next head coach. After a disappointing 26-56 season, Dallas decided it was time to move on from Jason Kidd and bring in a coach who has proven he can build winning teams.

May comes to the Mavericks after leading Michigan to the 2026 NCAA National Championship, making him one of the most respected young coaches in basketball.

Instead of hiring another coach with years of NBA experience, the Mavericks took a different approach. New President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri chose May because of his success at the college level and his ability to develop players. Before winning a national title at Michigan, May led Florida Atlantic to a surprise Final Four run in 2023 and quickly turned Michigan back into one of the best teams in the country.

One of the biggest reasons this hire makes sense is May's ability to help young players improve. The Mavericks are building around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, and May has a strong reputation for developing talent. His offensive system, defensive strategy, and focus on teamwork helped many of his college players reach the NBA, and Dallas hopes he can do the same with its current roster.

The timing of the hire was also important because May was able to help during the 2026 NBA Draft. The Mavericks selected one of his former Michigan players, Morez Johnson Jr., giving Dallas another young player who already understands May's coaching style.

Now on to Morez Johnson, who shows promise as a high PNR player with the ability to finish at the rim and run the floor. Obviously his time spent with May at Michigan means that the Mavs decided to take a reach( and yes this is a reach) on a player that May will be comfortable with. A versatile defender inside and can guard the 3 all the way to the 5. A Great rebounder and an athletic big who at times can move like he is a wing defender. His best part has to be that athleticism, which in paired with his size, means that Johnson has enormous potential down low and in the elbow area that can make him dangerous.

This likely means that the Daniel Gafford era in Dallas is coming to an end. With a younger Johnson and Lively pairing, its hard to see how Gafford provides any role with the Mavericks, and is likely to be shipped around for a suitable package, maybe even to the lakers to pair him up with Luka Doncic.

While the Mavs landed a player that the front office and coaching staff have either had time or faith in Johnson. The Mavericks currently still lack offensive shot creators and putting the load on a Kyrie Irving off Achillies injury and a young Cooper Flagg is a risky move. The Mavs tried this with Doncic back in 2019 and it worked out so this plan does have some foolproof to it now that Cooper Flagg has some veteran leadership. The problem the Mavericks still face is the lack of offensive shot creating guards. As it stands the Mavs have a plethora of forwards which features Johnson, Flagg, Washington, and Middleton. The Mavs are putting on Kyrie Irving to facilitate the load as the true PG of this team which could pose to be risky.