Michigan basketball’s run to a national title was built on a simple edge: Morez Johnson gave the Wolverines something other teams didn’t have.
Dusty May put it bluntly after Johnson became the first Michigan player taken in the 2026 NBA draft: “we have Rez and they don't.”
That belief carried Michigan through a 37-3 season and into the program’s first national championship in 37 years. Johnson, starting full time for the first time, was a force on both ends.
The defense was obvious. The rebounding was obvious.
The part that keeps raising eyebrows is the offense, and Thursday night in NBA Summer League offered another reminder of why his ceiling feels so high.
In his debut for the Mavs, Johnson looked every bit like a top-10 pick. Against Yaxel Lendeborg and the Warriors, he poured in 27 points, added eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, and shot 12-of-17 from the field.
Lendeborg was just as sharp in the matchup, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He also shot the ball well from 3-point range. He’s been averaging 17 points and seven rebounds, and is also shooting 67 percent from 3-point range.
For Michigan fans, the performance was a clean snapshot of what made both players so valuable. Johnson’s game started to come together last season, and the 6-foot-11 forward/center even began shooting the 3-ball with confidence, something he also showed at the NBA draft combine. Lendeborg, meanwhile, keeps showing he can fill up a box score while impacting the game in multiple ways.
Both players landed in situations that should keep them in the spotlight next season. The Warriors are hoping Lendeborg can help spark another title push, while the Mavericks are trying to build around Cooper Flagg.
Johnson looks like the kind of player who fits anywhere: a potential second or third superstar who doesn’t need the ball to matter. Lendeborg brings that same kind of versatility.
Neither has reached his ceiling yet, and Thursday night made that clear. Johnson is only two college seasons in, with just one as a starter, and Lendeborg, at 24, still has plenty of room to grow.
Thursday night was a reminder of that.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Made An Early Recruiting Move MSU Fans Will Hate
Michigan basketball is making an early push on the recruiting trail, and the latest offer says plenty about how Mike Boynton Jr. wants to operate. The Wolverines have extended a scholarship to Mateen Cleaves Jr., a 2028 point guard at Dream City Christian in Arizona who is already drawing attention from a growing list of Division I programs.
Cleaves Jr. is still at the beginning of his high school career, but the interest around him is real, with Michigan State among the schools already in the mix. For Michigan, the move is as much about getting in early as it is about the player himself, and it sets up a recruitment that figures to be followed closely for reasons that go well beyond the usual early offer chatter. [Read more 🡒]
Warde Manuel Cloud Over Michigan Just Got Even More Serious
The University of Michigans athletic department is headed back into the spotlight, with the Board of Regents set to meet Thursday and discuss the future of athletic director Warde Manuel. The gathering comes in the wake of an investigation tied to the Sherrone Moore scandal, adding another layer of uncertainty around a program that has already been forced to navigate a major leadership shakeup.
Moore was fired after an affair with a subordinate became public, and the fallout has continued to widen as the school examines what else may have been uncovered inside the athletic department. A law-firm investigation is believed to have produced findings, but the report has not been released publicly, leaving plenty of questions hanging over one of the most important jobs in Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]
Whittingham Is Answering Michigans Biggest Recruiting Question Fast
Michigans 2027 recruiting class has moved into rare air early, with Rivals slotting it 10th nationally and the group already built around 21 commitments and 15 four-star prospects. For a program that has long sold itself on development and structure, the class is also showing a broader reach than usual, with blue-chip talent spread across multiple positions and commitments coming from well beyond the states borders.
Kyle Whittingham has helped answer one of Michigans biggest recruiting questions by showing the Wolverines can still win nationally in the NIL era, not just in their own backyard. The class has now drawn pledges from 10 states outside Michigan, including several traditional hotbeds, and the trajectory suggests the Wolverines are close to locking in a top-10 haul with little room left for major movement. [Read more 🡒]