Latest / Bleacher Report / Morez Johnson Jr. Reunites With Dusty May in Dallas | 2026 NBA Draft

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Morez Johnson Jr. Reunites With Dusty May in Dallas | 2026 NBA Draft · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I know one guy who likes the surprise.
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  Speaker 2: It's Dusty May, new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks,
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  Speaker 2: who kind of blindsided all Michigan fans this week with
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  Speaker 2: the news that he was taking over.
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  Speaker 1: Look, does this matter in an NBA who you're saying.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, And I wouldn't be surprised if a Michigan
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  Speaker 3: guy he's taken. Right now, it makes sense. This is
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  Speaker 3: a brand new coach of the league. He'll be comfortable
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  Speaker 3: with one of his guys. I kind of know his system,
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  Speaker 3: the way he coaches and things of that nature. And
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  Speaker 3: there you go, and there you have it.
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  Speaker 2: And gentlemen, we may have just spoke this into existence,
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  Speaker 2: but I'll tell you right now on behalf of Michigan fans,
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  Speaker 2: I don't think any of us expected Marez Johnson to
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  Speaker 2: be the first of the three that comes off the
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  Speaker 2: board tonight.
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  Speaker 1: But allow me to speak on behalf of my guy.
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  Speaker 1: I love this.
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  Speaker 2: This guy's DNA is toughness, it is winning, it is unselfishness.
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  Speaker 2: I think he is the most defensively versatile big in
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  Speaker 2: this entire draft. And I think this is a culture
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  Speaker 2: center for Dusty May. Immediately after taking this mass job.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think Marez Johnson is a guy that can
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  Speaker 4: guard one through five, and I know that gets thrown
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  Speaker 4: out there a lot, but I truly think at the
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  Speaker 4: next level he can guard all positions. And also I
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  Speaker 4: think he's a guy that he's versatile. And you know,
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  Speaker 4: we saw him next to Yaxle last year and Moressa
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  Speaker 4: was kind of like his bodyguard a little bit, right.
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  Speaker 4: He made sure, he would say, he made sure he
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  Speaker 4: held everything down Cooper Flags there at Dallas right now,
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  Speaker 4: I think you got a young front court there that
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  Speaker 4: can defensively be very, very versatile. I didn't expect him
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  Speaker 4: to be the first Michigan player selected. I am a
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  Speaker 4: little bit shocked there. But I love Morez's game and
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  Speaker 4: the motor is a sensation.
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  Speaker 2: But we did joke watching Michigan this year they would
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  Speaker 2: send Mares to just follow Yacks. So Lenderberg's every move
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  Speaker 2: almost as his bodyguard, his protector physically. Do you think
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  Speaker 2: he can serve a similar role for Cooper Flag of Dallas.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, And you speak on the versatility defensively, I think
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  Speaker 3: that's a plus putting him next to Cooper Flag. He'll
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  Speaker 3: be brought in to be that. You know that defensive
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  Speaker 3: anchor that using that versatility to guard multiple spots on
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  Speaker 3: the floor just kind of be that complimentary piece to
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  Speaker 3: that franchise down in Cooper Flag. So, like I said,
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  Speaker 3: I think this is a comfortable pick for May being
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  Speaker 3: that brand new culture Dallas, this is a guy he's
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  Speaker 3: familiar with and vice versa when it comes to, you know,
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  Speaker 3: putting in his system in place. I think this is
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  Speaker 3: a guy that'll go, that will flow really smoothly in
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  Speaker 3: and it just makes sense. It's a comfortable pick. I
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  Speaker 3: didn't think he would go this early, but overall, still
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  Speaker 3: the very comfortable pick.
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  Speaker 2: It's been all a's thus far. Let's get was involved
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  Speaker 2: was are you surprised?
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  Speaker 5: I am surprised. In fact, I got text from a
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  Speaker 5: whole bunch of different people before, all different names, and
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  Speaker 5: he was not one of them. Listen, I like Mares Johnson.
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  Speaker 5: I think it's a little bit of a reach here.
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  Speaker 5: This is gonna be my first be on the board.
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  Speaker 5: And but you can't go wrong with him. He's got
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  Speaker 5: that high floor. You know what he's going to give you.
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  Speaker 5: And I love to fit with Dallas. And if you're
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  Speaker 5: drafting for Fit, fine, you want to get a tough
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  Speaker 5: guy next to Cooper Flagg by Derek Lively. You know
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  Speaker 5: he's going to play to his strengths as that defensive guy,
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  Speaker 5: the finisher. I love this clip here that really illustrates,
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  Speaker 5: you know, what he could type, what he could be
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  Speaker 5: defensively with, how he can erase shots, you know, doesn't
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  Speaker 5: give up any ground, has that long wing span. I
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  Speaker 5: think it was maybe close to seven to five at
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  Speaker 5: the NBA Combine. And so listen, we know he's going
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  Speaker 5: to give you and he's going to give you that toughness,
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  Speaker 5: and so let's see, is he going to find a
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  Speaker 5: place to start here? Yeah, maybe they put him in
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  Speaker 5: and have him start over PJ again, I wish there
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  Speaker 5: was at this early in the draft. They wish he
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  Speaker 5: found a guy with a little more offensive juice. I
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  Speaker 5: really like Braden Berry's also Brittain Burry is also a
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  Speaker 5: very good fit at the two guard spot, but they
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  Speaker 5: opted for Johnson. I'm sure Dusty may had something to
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  Speaker 5: do with it. A very safe pick. I just think
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  Speaker 5: there were a couple of guys on the board with
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  Speaker 5: higher ceilings, with a little bit more offensive versatility and skill.
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  Speaker 2: It's a very different game in the NBA, of course,
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  Speaker 2: than it is in college. But we did see Marez
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  Speaker 2: Johnson as the foundational centerpiece to the switch everything defense.
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  Speaker 1: A lot of big bodies on.
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  Speaker 2: That MAVs roster fish in the fish bowl what you
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  Speaker 2: got for us?
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  Speaker 6: There are plenty of questions of if Dusty May was
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  Speaker 6: going to have influence over this pick. The Mavericks along
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  Speaker 6: with the Hawks flew to Memphis this past weekend to
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  Speaker 6: go work out Nate Ement and that left a lot
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  Speaker 6: of teams picking behind Dallas thinking that Tennessee's swingman was
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  Speaker 6: going to be the choice. Clearly a smoke screen. Clearly
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  Speaker 6: Dusty May had some level of influence here and it's
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  Speaker 6: going to be a matter now of if Dallas can
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  Speaker 6: be moving up from number thirty. They are also another team,
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  Speaker 6: like we talked about with Memphis at the top that's
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  Speaker 6: looking to rise back up the draft board with their
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  Speaker 6: second first round pick.
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  Speaker 2: Karts, smoke screens, cutthroat moves, Dusty May.
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  Speaker 1: Really, is this so brand for you?
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  Speaker 4: It feels on brand? I think one thing that makes
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  Speaker 4: sense about this pick. I feel like a lot of
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  Speaker 4: NBA coaches are as asking the camps, the people around them,
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  Speaker 4: the college coaches, like what is this player? Dusty May
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  Speaker 4: saw up close all last year.
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  Speaker 1: He knows what he's getting in Mores.
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  Speaker 4: Johnson, so I'm surprised, But at the same time, I
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  Speaker 4: think Dusty's getting who he wants here.
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  Speaker 2: And listen to Brad Underwood products in the top nine
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  Speaker 2: of an NBA draft. I never thought on Cjday, Kart
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  Speaker 2: you Gotta Let was