Morez Johnson Jr. has already made one thing clear in his first two Summer League games for the Dallas Mavericks: he is not backing off.
The number that stands out is the foul total. Johnson Jr. has been whistled for 14 fouls through two games, with seven in each outing.
In a regular-season NBA game, that would be a much bigger problem, since players foul out at six. In Summer League, though, the Mavericks can live with the growing pains.
That’s because the fouls are coming from the kind of aggression Dallas wants to see. Johnson Jr. has been fearless around the rim, throwing himself into shot contests and trying to block just about everything near the basket.
Even when someone goes up to dunk, he rises with them and makes a play on the ball. That approach has led to the whistles, but it has also shown why the Mavericks see defensive upside.
Through two games, Johnson Jr. has five steals and six blocks, and that production points to real value as a situational small-ball center. His natural spot is likely power forward, but he’s shown he can handle minutes at center when the matchup calls for it.
The physicality is the biggest takeaway. He plays like a brick wall, and he doesn’t seem interested in dialing it down after one foul call.
Some big men start avoiding contact after getting burned once or twice. Johnson Jr. hasn’t shown that hesitation at all.
He keeps playing hard defense, and that kind of approach tends to earn attention from teammates, coaches, peers, and even referees.
If this ends up being his last Summer League game, the foul total will still be part of the conversation. But it can also be viewed as a useful step in the learning process. Dallas has let him play with maximum effort, and Summer League has given him the right setting to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
The bigger point is simple: toughness, energy, and physicality do not look like problems for Johnson Jr. right now. If anything, those traits are already showing up on both ends of the floor.
In Other News...
Mavericks Finally Got A Summer League Win But Fans Noticed This Too
The Mavericks finally broke through in Summer League, topping the Memphis Grizzlies 96-88 for their first win of the showcase. It was a useful night for a roster still sorting itself out, with Sergio De Larrea handling a bigger share of the offense and the second unit supplying plenty of help along the way.
De Larrea finished with 16 points and 12 assists, a line that stood out even more because Dallas was missing Morez Johnson Jr. and Ryan Nembhard. The bench did its part too, as Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Darin Green Jr. and Jaden Springer all reached double figures, giving the Mavericks a deeper look at who can carry real weight when the rotation thins out. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Have Quietly Found Another Hidden Gem On Draft Night
The Mavericks have spent the summer looking for value wherever they can find it, and one of the quieter draft-night moves may already be paying off. Dallas picked up draft rights to a late second-round selection from the Lakers for cash considerations, a low-cost swing that has started to look smarter by the day as the newcomer has flashed physicality, defense and enough versatility to stand out in Summer League.
He has also drawn positive remarks from the Mavericks Summer League staff after holding his own against tougher competition, the kind of early impression that can matter for a player trying to carve out a path. Dallas does not have an open roster spot right now, but the expectation is that he will get a training camp invite and a chance to keep forcing the issue for a place in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Finally Have A Klay Thompson Decision To Make
Klay Thompson may have become a name to watch again in Dallas, where the Mavericks still have him on an expiring deal worth about $17.5 million next season. Miami is reportedly interested in bringing in the veteran shooter regardless of what LeBron James decides, and that kind of interest matters because Dallas would rather work out a trade than simply move on via buyout.
For the Mavericks, the appeal is obvious: Thompson still carries enough reputation as a high-end floor spacer to draw real attention, even if his contract makes any deal tricky. For Miami, the pursuit sits alongside a broader search for scoring options, with the Heat also keeping tabs on other veteran names as they sort through a crowded offseason board. [Read more 🡒]