The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft.The Dallas Mavericks selected Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick Tuesday in the NBA Draft. In his one season for the national champion Michigan Wolverines, Morez averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists.Johnson possesses a terrific combination of strength and athleticism. He’s a powerful player who can move opponents bigger than he is and prevent them from establishing position against him. He’s not wildly explosive, but he can rise if he loads up off two feet. He’s light on his feet for a player who weighs 250 pounds and moves well laterally. He has a rare combination of mobility and strength.Johnson could get stuck somewhere between the four and the five positions if his rim protection doesn’t play up and he doesn’t become a shooter, as he might be smaller for the five spot and not quite skilled enough for the four. He needs to keep improving his skill level and work on defending vertically without fouling. He’ll need to be elite in that regard, like the Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart, to thrive at the five. Otherwise, he could be more scheme-dependent.Sam Vecenie’s draft guide summaryI’m a big fan of the versatility Johnson brings defensively, and it’s hard for me to see how he doesn’t end up being a useful player on a winning NBA team. He allows a team to play multiple coverages on defense and can help a team have flexibility to go big or small, depending on the roster around him. If you want to kill the glass, you should play him at the four. If you want to go smaller and more mobile, he should be able to deal with most centers at the five.