It wasn’t hard for NBA teams to nail the 2026 NBA Draft. The first round was loaded with talent, featuring a surplus of future stars, immediate rotation players, and high-upside prospects, which is why the class is being considered one of the most talented in NBA history. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer all had valid claims to be picked overall, and alongside Caleb Wilson, they formed one of the best top fours in league history.
The depth of this draft led to a bunch of high-value draft steals, too. However, not everyone executed flawlessly in round one. The Dallas Mavericks made the worst pick within the first 30 picks. Here is why.
The Mavericks made the worst pick of the first round
The Mavericks had two picks in the first round: the number nine selection and pick 30, the latter of which they’d trade to the Phoenix Suns. With their lottery pick, the team selected Morez Johnson Jr. At the surface, this doesn’t look like a bad pick. The Michigan product is fresh off winning a national championship with the Wolverines, and now he reunites with his college coach, Dusty May, who was just hired to lead the Mavericks.
Johnson is a winning player. He provides constant energy and an elite motor. He gives it his all on defense, and not only can he defend the rim, but he can guard on the perimeter a little bit, too. Offensively, Johnson thrives as a play finisher. He can score inside off alley-oops or put-backs, and he has the fluidity to run in transition.
However, when you dig deeper, it is clear that the Johnson selection was a mistake. For starters, this draft class was viewed at as so elite, in part, because of the top nine prospects. There was considered to be a fall off after that top nine, and although Johnson was picked ninth overall, he wasn’t one of those consensus nine best players. The Mavericks passed on Nate Ament, a still-growing wing who can score from anywhere on the court and has a much higher ceiling than the Michigan big man.
Johnson’s ceiling, meanwhile, seems to be somewhat capped. While he should be someone who can contribute right away and should stick around the league, the center/power forward doesn’t have very much potential to become more than a role player. Johnson isn’t as great of a post scorer as ideal for a lottery pick big man, and although he showed some 3-point shooting flashes at Michigan, he could very well end up as a non-shooter with the 3-point arc extended back at the NBA level.
Positionally, Johnson is a bad fit, too. He predominantly played the four in college, but that position is already occupied by Cooper Flagg, last year’s number one overall pick and the Mavericks franchise player. Flagg can move down to the small forward position, but Dallas still needs to give minutes to P.J. Washington, a power forward who is under contract longer than any other player on the roster through 2030.
Johnson can also play the five, but Dallas already has plenty of depth there, too. Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford are both starting-caliber centers who have split minutes at the position in recent years. While Lively has had his fair share of injury issues, he should still be viewed as a part of the team’s core.
Dallas has way too much frontcourt talent and not nearly enough shooting and playmaking. Not even the return from injury of Kyrie Irving changes that fact. Johnson is a bizarre fit for the Mavericks, and it almost seems like Dallas took him just to pair their new coach with one of his favorite players from college.
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