The Mavericks’ choice to take Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 is under the microscope again, and the reason is simple: Yaxel Lendeborg keeps stacking up big nights.
Johnson drew plenty of pushback when Dallas used the ninth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft this summer. His sophomore season at Michigan offered plenty to like - versatility, defense, energy, physicality - but a lot of Mavs fans still saw that selection as a reach. Six games into his NBA career, the doubts have only gotten louder.
Johnson is averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.5 turnovers while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. The bigger issue has been the whistles.
He’s averaging 3.2 fouls in just 15.5 minutes per game, which works out to 7.4 fouls per 36 minutes. A lot of those calls have come while he’s setting screens, and the foul trouble has followed him since Summer League in Dallas.
The fouls tend to come in bunches, and they’ve kept him from staying on the floor long enough to settle in.
There are still encouraging signs. Johnson is making winning plays, crashing the glass hard, and showing a nice turnaround around the rim. But that only matters so much if he can’t avoid the whistle.
Meanwhile, Lendeborg is making Dallas’ decision look shakier by the game.
Taken two spots later at No. 11, Lendeborg has been far more productive than anyone expected this early.
He’s putting up 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 52 percent overall and 40.9 percent from three. His best showing came November 1 against the LA Clippers, when he poured in 37 points, grabbed four rebounds, and handed out six assists while going 13-of-19 from the field and 6-of-11 from deep.
That game showed the full package. Lendeborg was hitting tough threes off the dribble and off the catch, bullying defenders inside with his size, and flashing real secondary shot-creation ability with his self-creation and underrated playmaking. He looked comfortable running the offense, and it’s hard not to picture how that would have fit next to Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving - especially since he had shown interest in Dallas before the draft.
He’s been even hotter lately, scoring at least 25 points in four of his last five games. The Warriors have won four straight, and Lendeborg has been a major part of that run.
The debate gets even louder because Dusty May coached both players at Michigan last season. Once Dallas hired May, it felt like the odds of the team landing a Michigan player in the lottery went up.
At the time, Lendeborg wasn’t a favorite among Mavs fans. That has changed fast.
There’s still a case for Johnson. He’s 20, while Lendeborg is 24, and Johnson may ultimately fit better alongside Flagg because of some overlap between Flagg and Lendeborg’s offensive games.
But right now, Dallas looks like a team that wants to win immediately, not just down the road. The Mavericks are 4-2 and have won four of their last five, and that makes Lendeborg’s immediate production stand out even more.
Johnson has time, and this story is nowhere near finished. But if Lendeborg keeps playing like this while Johnson keeps fighting foul trouble, the pressure on Dallas’ draft decision is only going to grow.
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