Mavericks believe Morez Johnson Jr. can help turn franchise around

RIVERDALE, Ill. – Morez Johnson Jr. didn’t go back to his elementary school this August solely to host a back-to-school drive in his hometown.

There was work to be done. During an early-morning workout at Washington Elementary in Riverdale, the 6-10 forward transformed into his alter ego, the one that comes alive on the hardwood. The one most visible after his vicious dunks and eviscerating blocks. He becomes the passionate competitor his parents, coaches and former school administrators barely recognize because of the 20-year-old’s shy nature away from the court.

“He’s like Clark Kent and Superman,” said Tai Streets, who coached Johnson during his senior year at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Ill.

The Mavericks used the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft – the last first-rounder they own outright until 2031 – on Johnson, the physically gifted but mild-mannered big man who helped Michigan capture a national championship with Dallas’ new head coach, Dusty May. They’re banking on Johnson to help turn the franchise back into a winning organization.

Johnson’s duality was forged not on the streets of Riverdale, but in his childhood home. His parents limited how much time he and his younger sister, Moriah, spent outside – their way of keeping their children safe in a high-crime community of about 10,000 people roughly 20 miles south of Chicago.

“When I grew up, I didn’t have nobody that’s from Riverdale that actually made it out and do something successful with their life,” Johnson told The Dallas Morning News. “I want people to know I’m from Riverdale and I could be that model for them and let them know they can do anything they want to do to reach their goals.”

Growing up in Riverdale

The soft-spoken boy but relentless competitor once the ball is tipped attended St. Rita of Cascia, an all-boys Catholic high school in Chicago. It was another way Johnson’s parents tried to avoid exposing him to the crime and safety problems in Riverdale, where the average of 34.66 crimes per 1,000 residents is more than double the national rate, and where 41.5% of people live below the poverty line.

“Sometimes, it was annoying, not being able to just go to the park with my friends some days,” Johnson said of his parents’ efforts. “When I got to high school, I understood why and I was cool with it. I didn’t care anymore. I understood why I couldn’t and I got comfortable with being at home.”

Johnson’s father and namesake, Morez Johnson Sr., made sure there were plenty of activities for his children to do indoors, whether it was cable television, video games, board games, puzzles or STEM kits, which piqued his son’s curiosity most.

“Being outside, you tend to run into a lot of stuff,” Johnson Sr. told The News. “When you’re bored, you get into trouble. Everything he needed was inside the house.”

On the rare days Johnson Jr. couldn’t find a way inside the gym at Washington, his father would improvise drills in a grassy field across from the small brick house on the corner of 138th Street and Tracey Avenue in Riverdale, where the family lived for more than a decade.

Johnson Jr. would often work on defensive slides, setting the foundation for his ability to guard multiple positions. He’d jump on top of large boxes to help his vertical leap, which registered at 39 inches at the NBA draft combine. He practiced his handle by dribbling basketballs covered in plastic grocery bags, a training method his dad picked up from Kyrie Irving, long before they shared the same locker room.

“I pretty much learned everything from him,” Johnson Jr. said of his father, who worked as an AC repairman.

Johnson Sr., known as “Big Rez,” was named by his mother, Florence Wales, who told the origin story of her son and grandson’s name to The News during a family reunion in August.

“When he was born, he was red,” Wales said. “And I said, ‘Where is this baby coming from? … He looks like a Mo-rez. My oldest brother’s name is Cortez Morez. So I said, ‘That’ll fit him perfect.’

“He said, ‘Ma, that’s a beautiful name. Nobody has that name. Ima name my son Morez.’”

What does Johnson Jr. think about sharing the same name as his dad?

“I really don’t think about it much until I’m at home and people are like, ‘Lil’ Rez,’” he told The News. “But it’s an honor to be named after him.”

Johnson Jr.’s grandmother gave The News a tour of his teenage bedroom, the first room at the top of the stairs in his father’s house in Homewood, Ill. The walls display basketball memorabilia, his own and his childhood favorites: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry. The only player missing is Kevin Durant, whom Johnson Jr. has long cited as primary hoops influence.

Johnson Jr.’s mother, who also still lives in Illinois, has one golden rule while he’s away:

“Always make time for family, even if you just call because you haven’t seen anybody in a while,” Natasha Jones told The News.

Jones describes her son as shy at first, then silly and goofy once he’s comfortable, whether he’s posing a bodyguard behind May’s postgame interviews or trolling his new teammate, Max Christie, for going to in-state rival Michigan State.

Jones said she doesn’t remember what Johnson was doing on the court the first time she saw him flip the switch from silly to serious, but she remembers her reaction.

“Boy, you better calm your butt down!” Jones recalled shouting to her son, who was in eighth grade at the time. “It’s a good thing, though. The look in his eyes lets me know he’s in that mode and he’s ready.”

Building a life around basketball

Professional basketball wasn’t always a dream job for Johnson Jr., who wanted to be a veterinarian long before hoops took over his life. He owns two dogs – a pit bull named Princess, who lives at his father’s house, and a goldendoodle, Iso, who lives with him in Dallas.

“I wanna have some chickens, some pigs or something like that,” Johnson Jr. said. “Not actually have a farm to sell things. I love animals.”

Those aspirations are now secondary to the NBA, a goal of Johnson Jr.’s since he started playing basketball at the age of 11, rather late for an elite preps player.

The forward was once overlooked on his own high school team, as fellow big man James Brown was considered the top freshman prospect for St. Rita. He watched his teammate receive more college offers and began to second-guess himself, but his father encouraged him to focus on what he could control: his attitude, effort and intensity on the court.

“They can’t do what you do,” Johnson Sr. told him. “Just keep moving.”

Johnson Jr. committed to Illinois as a sophomore and helped St. Rita to a 23-12 record and a Class 4A regional title. As a junior, he averaged a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, along with two blocks per game. Johnson Jr.’s star teammates and his coach left for other schools after this season, prompting his transfer to Thornton. He became even more dominant his senior year, recording 27 double-doubles and carrying averages of 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

His national profile skyrocketed by the end of his high school hoops career as he transformed into a top-40 four-star recruit. He was Mr. Basketball and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Illinois and was ranked the No. 1 overall player in the state in 2024.

“After a while I learned I shouldn’t be comparing myself in any aspect and just let things come to me,” Johnson Jr. said. “And everything worked out.”

Johnson Jr. left high school with nearly every accolade an elite basketball prospect could want, except one – an invitation to the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game.

“I was butt hurt about that,” Johnson Jr. told The News, reflecting on the moment to a friend close by. “Remember the game after I didn’t get McDonald’s? I didn’t even score in the whole first half. I was just so pissed.”

The omission stung, but not as much as his freshman season at Illinois, where he’d been recruited by former assistant coach Tim Anderson, who left the program indefinitely for family matters. Without his biggest supporter, Johnson Jr. came off the bench and averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 30 games, with only eight starts. It led him to enter the transfer portal, which opened the door to a new beginning at Michigan.

“He seemed like he really cared about me, not just from a basketball aspect,” Johnson Jr. said of May. “I know that’s hard to say with somebody you just met, but I just got those vibes from him.”

From Michigan to the Mavericks

Johnson Jr. developed into a more complete player under May, blending his natural physicality around the basket with a mission to disrupt on the defensive end.

“One of the things that makes him so valuable is that he checks a lot of boxes,” the Mavericks head coach said. “Whatever that moment needs or whatever that game needs, he’s adaptable.

“The things that make Rez Rez are his tenaciousness, his heart, his physicality and doing whatever it takes to win.”

The competitive side of Johnson Jr. and his willingness to embrace the less-glorified parts of the game helped the Wolverines capture their first national championship in 37 years, while elevating his draft stock.

Johnson Jr. was a surprise selection for the Mavericks, who many experts expected would fill their positional need with a guard. He was also projected as the third-best prospect among the Michigan lottery-pick trio of himself, Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, but Mavericks front office duo Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz couldn’t pass on his upside as a long-term fit alongside Cooper Flagg.

May said he didn’t have any idea who the Mavericks were drafting at No. 9 and missed a text message from Ujiri one minute before the pick was announced. Johnson Jr. glanced at May after NBA commissioner Adam Silver called his name and his reunion with the coach who helped unlock his potential was official.

“I’m on Rez’s team now, so he’s definitely my favorite,” May said during his introductory news conference.

A lottery pick in one of the most talented draft classes in recent memory is bound to shoulder expectations. Is the All-Rookie team – or even Rookie of the Year – on Johnson’s revised list of goals? Perhaps an appearance in the Rising Stars Challenge alongside Flagg, last season’s Rookie of the Year? If so, he’s keeping his cards close to his chest.

“I just want to make sure I build a solid routine that I can do day to day and build my confidence,” Johnson Jr. said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”

That morning at Washington Elementary, Johnson Jr.’s intense workout involves spot shooting, short-roll hooks, pick-and-pops, dribble pull-ups. His eyes travel with the ball until it arrives at its intended destination: the bottom of the net. He grimaces when it doesn’t, but there are far more makes than misses on this particular morning.

After Johnson Jr. completes several drills to the point of exhaustion, a small group of people responsible for his early education approach him.

“Just know that you did it,” said Shinora Montgomery, longtime principal at Washington. “You did what every boy dreamed.”

“You set a goal and you met your goal,” added Jennifer Williams, a former assistant principal.

“A little bit,” Johnson Jr. said.

“A lot of bit,” Williams countered.

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