Morez Johnson Jr.'s reaction to joining Dusty May on the Mavericks says it all

"LFG."

This reaction says it all.

Former Michigan Wolverines big man Morez Johnson Jr. is officially a Dallas Maverick after Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz elected to draft him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Johnson Jr. is clearly excited to be reuniting with Dusty May in Dallas, and he took his thoughts to X less than an hour after the pick was made official.

Morez Johnson Jr. reacts to being drafted by the Mavericks

"LFG," also known as "let's freaking go," the 6-foot-9 big man said. A three-letter acronym that displays pure excitement. Johnson Jr. was going to be excited regardless of where he got drafted, but it has to be a special team to join May in Dallas.

Coach May helped Morez's game grow considerably, as he went from a late first-round prospect to one of the top nine players selected in the draft. Dusty is known for helping his big men grow their games, as shown by his work with Aday Mara, Danny Wolf, Vladislav Goldin, and Johnson Jr., and Morez's game is poised to improve even more as a Maverick.

He possesses an endless motor, and his relentless work ethic is what will make him such a strong fit next to Cooper Flagg. The Maine Event brings both of those things as well, and Dallas' young core is in great hands with these two players and May leading the way.

Dusty May will make this transition easy

Dallas shocked the NBA world by selecting Johnson Jr. inside the top 10, as he was mostly predicted to go near the end of the lottery. But what isn't a shock is that May's new squad drafted one of his former players. May was officially named the Mavs' head coach earlier today, and it didn't take him long to reunite with a Wolverine.

Johnson Jr. played a key role in Michigan's run to the National Championship, and May loved coaching him there. Now he'll get to do the same thing in Dallas, and his fit in the frontcourt is easy to see. While Daniel Gafford's role is now shaky, Johnson Jr. will give the Mavs the toughness, durability, and physicality that they need inside. They couldn't afford to depend on Dereck Lively II to be their sole young big man, and their first-round pick just made this frontcourt group significantly stronger.

Johnson's simple three-letter response to being drafted by Dallas is a feeling that Morez believers are feeling as well, and his team-first attitude and knack for winning will quickly win over the fan base.

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