Following a monster debut and a sudden injury, the No. 9 pick faces harsh criticism. Explore how the lottery selection fits into a crowded Dallas rotation.
DALLAS - Maybe we're leaning toward being a bit more patience when it comes to Dallas Mavericks rookie Morez Johnson Jr. than ESPN is willing to be.
No doubt, as the No. 9 overall pick comes away from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the impressive left - after just a total of two games, we must note - includes a note on inconsistency.
After all, he had a monster debut.
And then wasn't nearly as good in his second game.
And then a calf issue prevented him from participating after that.
But ...
Does that justify ESPN analyst Ben Golliver having listed Johnson as the "most inconsistent rookie'' at the Las Vegas session?
“Johnson’s debut was a sight to behold: 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks against the Golden State Warriors,'' Golliver wrote. "As that line suggests, the No. 9 pick was a wrecking ball on both sides of the court. To top off an excellent showing filled with above-the-rim highlights on both ends, the 6-foot-9 forward even stepped out to hit a 3-pointer.
"This was everything Dallas could have wanted to see: physicality, energy, versatility and a stretch element on offense.''
But ...
“Unfortunately, Johnson looked like a completely different player in the Mavericks’ next game, a loss to the Lakers,'' Golliver continued. "He committed seven fouls in 28 minutes, looked a step slow to react to the action in the paint and finished with just 10 points and five rebounds as the Mavericks were outscored by 22 points in his 28 minutes.”
The problem with the analysis is self-evident once we reflect on it: To have been "consistent'' following his Game 1 performance, he would've had to do it again - you know, somewhere around "27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks'' - in Game 2.
Short of that? In a way, 'Rez's debut made it almost impossible for him to avoid being labeled as "inconsistent.'' ... even with such a small sample size.
We will give the critics this much, however: While we hope Johnson will perform well enough once we get to the preseason schedule (see above) to get opportunities to compete for minutes as a rookie while under the guidence of his former Michigan head coach Dusty May who's now leading the Mavs, we also check out our Mavs Way-Too-Early Depth chart via Dallas insider Grant Afseth ...
And note how deeply he might presently be buried there.
G: Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea
G: Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Tarik Biberović
F: Cooper Flagg, Zaccharie Risacher, Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin
F: P.J. Washington, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr.
C: Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Moussa Cissé
Clearly, there are moves yet to be made. But for now, there are other players with more skins on the wall when it comes to projecting any distribution of minutes, a fact made even more apparent by Dallas' latest trade acquisition, Risacher, the Hawks-ex who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
In the end, Johnson put his upside on display in Las Vegas ... but cursed himself by doing so when it comes to being judged as "inconsistent.'' We still believe one of the 6-10, 250-pounder's strengths will be in contributing in some of "the little things'' beyond stats ...
And if we're right, Johnson’s role will also him to be consistent ... as long as he climbs up that depth chart in a way that allows any contribution at all.
