Dusty May Brought His National Championship Chemistry to Dallas. The Mavs Just Proved It.

Dallas Mavericks fans have spent the last 15 months watching their franchise stumble through a PR nightmare. Luka Doncic trade fallout. Front office leaks. A general sense that the organization couldn’t get out of its own way. So when new head coach Dusty May walked into the draft room this week, he did something simple: he went back to what worked.

May, who won a national title at Michigan last season, used the No. 9 pick on Wolverines big man Morez Johnson Jr. The video of their reunion at the draft is already circling online. Johnson hugged former teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara first, then found May. The two shared a long embrace that felt less like a coach-player handshake and more like two guys who know exactly what they’re getting into together.

The Mavs had all three Michigan prospects available — Lendeborg, Mara, and Johnson — and some fans wanted the flashier pick. But Dallas went with Johnson, widely considered one of the best defenders in the 2026 draft class. The guy is 6-foot-10 with quick hands and a motor that doesn’t stop. He’s not going to drop 30 points on anyone, but he might make the other team’s best big man disappear for four quarters.

And that’s the thing about May’s approach. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel in Dallas. He’s bringing in guys who already know his system, his defensive schemes, and the way he runs a locker room. Johnson spent two years under May at Michigan. They won a championship together. There’s a shorthand there that most rookie-coach-rookie-player combos don’t have.

The Mavs roster is still a work in progress. They’ve got some young pieces, some veteran contracts that might move before the deadline, and a fanbase that’s been burned by too many promises. But May is betting that trust — real, earned trust between a coach and his players — matters more than highlight-reel potential.

Johnson said after the draft that he’s ready to bring what he calls “the Michigan toughness” to Dallas. He talked about defending at a high level, setting hard screens, and doing the little things that don’t show up in box scores. That’s exactly the kind of mentality the Mavs have been missing.

Will it work? Nobody knows yet. But watching Johnson walk over to May and wrap him up in a hug before the draft even ended? That told you something. These two have already been through a season that ended with a parade. Now they’re trying to do it again in a city that really needs something good to believe in again.