The Dallas Mavericks had a great opportunity on their hands in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Their new head coach, Dusty May, was coming off a college national championship at Michigan. He knew the draft pool as well as anyone. Things set up nicely to get Cooper Flagg a running mate for years to come.
The Mavs had the No. 9 overall pick, maybe just outside the clear stars available on the board but certainly with a chance to add a player with great talent and potential.
Dallas opted for Morez Johnson Jr., who had played for May at Michigan. He was the first of three Wolverines chosen in a four-pick span.
The Golden State Warriors took Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11. The Oklahoma City Thunder took Aday Mara at No. 12. Between there, the Milwaukee Bucks had chosen point guard Brayden Burries out of Arizona at the 10th pick.
And it’s early, so early — nothing can be known for sure yet.
But if we isolate the decision for the Mavs to Johnson vs. Lendeborg — it already looks like Dallas may have made a mistake.
Morez Johnson Jr. Rookie Season Stats
Through Nov. 1, Johnson has played six games in his rookie season. He’s averaging about 15 minutes per game.
Johnson is putting up 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also has the potential to be an impactful defender, but he’s not necessarily a fit for the modern NBA offensively — Johnson has yet to make a 3-pointer.
The Mavs probably liked the idea that Johnson doesn’t need the basketball to impact games. They have Kyrie Irving and Flagg to handle the ball.
But in the long haul, Johnson is going to have to hit his ceiling on a lot of little things to make up for what might never be a perfect offensive game.
Yaxel Lendeborg Rookie Season Stats
Meanwhile, Lendeborg looks like a rising star right out of the gates.
He’s played seven games for the Warriors and is averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Lendeborg is also shooting 52.0% from the floor and 40.9% from 3-point range.
He looks like the guy who is going to bridge the Warriors from the Steph Curry era into their next era — which very well might be the Yaxel era.
Lendeborg is older than most of his draft class, which is part of why he didn’t go higher — but he’s 24, not 40. He’s got a lot of good basketball ahead of him.
You’d expect May had a good sense for what he was doing in having the Mavs take Johnson, although May has also said he didn’t influence that pick — which is a bit hard to believe.
Regardless of whose choice it was, though, Johnson’s going to have to turn into quite the player to keep up with what it already looks like Lendeborg is becoming.
Mavericks Drafting Morez Johnson Over Yaxel Lendeborg Already Looks Like Mistake