The Dallas Mavericks officially named Dusty May their 11th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday afternoon. About 5 1/2 hours later, the Mavericks used the No. 9 selection in the NBA Draft on a player May considered the beating heart of his championship team at Michigan: Morez Johnson Jr.Johnson started 40 games last season on a team that won its six NCAA Tournament games by an average of 19 points. Johnson was so impactful — particularly as a rebounder and on the defensive end — that Michigan’s coaching staff liked to remind itself in nervy moments, “Well, we have ‘Rez, and they don’t.”Leading up to the draft, few forecasted the Mavericks choosing Johnson at No. 9. So, how much did May influence their decision?“Dusty gave us a great rundown of several prospects in the draft he’s familiar with,” Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz said. “Spoke the world of Morez. … To hear his insight on him gave us even more confidence in Morez.”NBA Draft 2026: Winners and Losers from Round 1Zach Harper and CJ MooreMany Mavericks fans thought Dallas might choose a guard with the ninth pick. Brayden Burries, who had an excellent one-and-done season at Arizona, was still available when the Mavs were up. However, the Mavericks chose Johnson instead, and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped up Buries at No. 10.At 6 foot 9 and 250 pounds with a 7-foot-3 1/2 wingspan, Johnson is big enough to play either power forward or center. Schmitz praised Johnson’s defensive versatility.“You’re not supposed to move like he does at that size,” Schmitz said. “He can step out and guard point guards. Sometimes 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s. His defensive upside is incredibly high.”Schmitz added that Johnson’s intangibles were a significant factor in his selection.“We think he fits perfectly with what we are trying to do,” Schmitz said. “It’s not always about position. A lot of it is about mentality and what are you bringing from an intangibles standpoint and a competitiveness standpoint. He’s a home run in all those areas.”May was watching the first round play out at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Johnson was one of three Michigan players to be taken in the lottery. The Golden State Warriors chose versatile forward Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11, while the Oklahoma City Thunder added 7-foot-3 Spanish center Aday Mara at No. 12.“Coach Dusty had us very close last year,” Johnson told reporters in Brooklyn. “That was the closest team I’ve ever been a part of. Coach May is going to focus on defense and bringing defense to the Mavs. We (Michigan) were the No. 1 defensive team in the country last year. So I can’t wait to lock in with my brothers.”The front office has work to do in the coming months to balance this roster better. The addition of Johnson means Dallas has a logjam in the frontcourt, with P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II all as options next to centerpiece Cooper Flagg.At the same time, the Mavericks lack proven guard creators outside Kyrie Irving (though they did take a swing on a ballhandler Tuesday by trading up to No. 25 to take 6-foot-6 Spaniard Sergio De Larrea).When asked about the team’s roster imbalance, Schmitz steered the conversation back toward Johnson.“Morez brings the type of toughness and competitiveness that we are looking for,” Schmitz said. “High energy guy. Incredible motor. Winner. Has done it at the highest level of college basketball. … The familiarity piece is going to be huge. It’s obviously a unique situation to play for your college coach at the NBA level.”May will begin his Mavericks tenure alongside Johnson, a player with whom he had immense success at the college level. Exactly how much May influenced the Mavericks to take the Michigan big man is unclear, but the Mavericks seemed happy with the outcome.“You have to be ready for everything with the NBA Draft,” Schmitz said. “We feel this went according to plan, and we were able to execute the plan and the vision we had in place.”