The pick is in. The Dallas Mavericks have picked Morez Johnson Jr. as the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Some may have been expecting Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara to be the pick, but Johnson Jr. is the real deal, and fans should still be pumped.
Johnson Jr. averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 62 percent from the field. The national champ from Michigan is aggressive and can defend. Not to mention, he carries himself with a chip on his shoulder, and nobody will mess with Cooper Flagg when Johnson Jr. is on the court.
It's a new era, and it looks like the Mavs have their young, big bodies who can score and defend at any time. But let's be honest here, this has Dusty May written all over it, and all the Mavs needed was a head coach to make this happen.
Mavs fans can thank Dusty May hire for Morez Johnson Jr. pick
May was just hired not even 48 hours ago, and it looked like Arizona's Brayden Burries was going to be the pick, but he ended up getting picked right next to Johnson at No. 10.
May clearly had some intel where his Michigan guys were going in the NBA Draft, which is exactly what the Mavs needed. Burries, Mara, or Lendeborg would've still been fine picks, but May knew what he was doing here.
If Micah Nori or Billy Donovan were hired, would they have had as much of a say in the Johnson Jr. pick? Probably not. The May hire wasn't just a home run; it happened at the perfect time. Fans were pleading with the Mavs to get a coach before the NBA Draft, and they have hit on both their new head coach and the Johnson Jr. pick.
The last couple of seasons for the Mavs have been a laughingstock. No doubt about it, but May has turned the Mavs into the "Michigan Mavericks."
They got their guy next to Flagg for hopefully many years to come, and Mavs fans have permission to go nuts.
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