Mavericks passing on Brayden Burries is already looking like a mistake

When the Dallas Mavericks selected Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, it was somewhat controversial, as Dallas needed guard depth more than anything, and Brayden Burries ended up getting selected right after Johnson with the 10th pick. While Johnson showed great flashes in Summer League and still has plenty of time to show his value, early signs are showing Dallas should've selected Burries instead.

First off, it's hard to argue Dallas needed a big man like Johnson over a combo guard like Burries. Even taking into consideration that Dallas may sign Walter Clayton Jr. with their open two-way slot, and added No. 25 overall pick Sergio De Larrea as well as Marcus Sasser this offseason, their point guard depth behind Kyrie Irving is still extremely thin from a talent perspective.

Early signs show Dallas shouldn't have passed on Brayden Burries

Burries is a solid secondary playmaker and someone who can create his own shot in spurts, which would have been invaluable on this Mavericks roster. Perhaps most valuable, though, would've been the point-of-attack defense he could've given the Mavericks. Dallas' lack of perimeter defense was very evident in the preseason, as it looks like a problem that could carry over from last season.

Max Christie is a solid defender at the point of attack, but he's not elite by any means. Dallas' best perimeter defender, Caleb Martin, is so inconsistent offensively that he can't always play for long stretches.

For reference, Burries averaged 2.5 steals per game during preseason for the Milwaukee Bucks, and averaged 1.5 steals per game last season for the Arizona Wildcats. He has the length and body to be able to guard one through three and is an excellent defender on and off the ball.

Burries also averaged 23.5 points per game in Las Vegas at Summer League and was named to the 2026 NBA All-Summer League First Team, as he projects to be an elite shooter and knows how to create his own shot in space.

Morez Johnson faces an uphill battle to prove he was the right pick

There's still plenty of time to play out between the respective careers of Johnson and Burries, but there's no doubt this early stretch hasn't been favorable to Johnson. Johnson missed two of Dallas' preseason games with shin splints, and though he's healthy now, he'll have a tougher path to minutes than Burries will in Milwaukee, given Dallas' wing and big men depth.

If Burries far exceeds Johnson this season, critics will undoubtedly point out the Michigan pipeline between Dallas' new head coach Dusty May and Johnson, as there definitely could've been some bias with the Johnson selection given he won a National Championship with May last season.

Johnson will still get an opportunity to prove doubters wrong, as he'll definitely have a role on this Mavericks team with Dereck Lively II still injured at the start of the season, even if he doesn't start right off the bat. He could be Dallas' last lottery pick for a very long time, so hopefully he isn't eclipsed by Burries so quickly into his young career, but only time will tell to see how that fares.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow