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.
The Dallas Mavericks selected Johnson with the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft Tuesday night, and he will be reunited with college coach 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 the Mavericks picking him hours after officially announcing May’s hiring as coach. “It’s crazy, man. We’ve got work to do. Back to work.”
Johnson was the first of the three Michigan players taken in the lottery in the span of four picks, with Yaxel Lendeborg going at No. 11 to the Golden State Warriors and Aday Mara at No. 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It marked the first time in program history Michigan had three lottery picks in the same draft.
“It’s crazy. I’m so happy for those guys,” Johnson said. “We talked about it during the season. We got our ultimate goal of winning the national championship and we just got drafted together, all lottery picks.”
But out of that frontcourt trio, Johnson is the one who isn’t done playing for May.
“It’s insane: the Michigan Mavs,” Johnson said on ESPN. “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.”
Johnson, 20, is a Riverdale native who played three years at St. Rita before transferring to Thornton for his senior season, after which he was named the 2024 Mr. Basketball of Illinois
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.After making only eight starts as a freshman 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 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 combine.
Johnson, Lendeborg and Mara formed the best frontcourt in college basketball. They powered the Wolverines to the most wins in program history (37), a Big Ten record for conference wins (19), a Big Ten regular-season title and the program’s first national championship since 1989.
And the three set another program mark to cap their Michigan careers.
“I’m proud of my brothers,” Johnson said. “I’m very excited to see what our future has for us.”