Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. is in the midst of a breakout campaign and has been on an absolute tear the last two games, highlighted by a career-best 29-point performance in a 96-66 win
over USC on Friday. Despite being a dominant interior scorer and an incredibly versatile defender, Johnson isn’t getting the national recognition he deserves.
“He’s been a godsend. He’s one of my favorite players that I’ve ever coached in such a short period. I really appreciate him as much as anyone on the team,” head coach Dusty May told the media on Monday. “He’s in here every single day. He’s an everyday guy. He’s added some things to his game. He’s very open, honest and vulnerable about what he needs to get better at, then he attacks it.”
Yaxel Lendeborg has certainly earned all of the acclaim he gets – leading the Wolverines with 15.1 points to go with 7.0 rebounds per game –but Johnson should get a bit more praise nationally as well. Johnson is second on the team in points (14.8), third in rebounds (6.7) and blocks (1.3), and is shooting a team-high 68.2 percent from the field.
Just days after tying his season-high with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Johnson continued his hot streak against the Trojans by exploding for 29 points and six rebounds on a hyper-efficient 10-for-12 shooting and 8-for-10 from the free throw line. He is not only a great player on both ends of the floor, but he’s also been the most efficient player on the team.
“First and foremost, his effort and want to is generating a lot of his looks,” May said. “He’s in the gym right now. He works very, very consistently and religiously on getting better at what he needs to get better at. He hasn’t missed an individual film session all season, and to be honest, with us, we don’t chase our guys down and make them watch film.”
It’s clear he is taking what he sees on film and applying it to the court, getting to the rim and finishing through contact at a high level while also knocking down his free throws at a consistent rate. In addition to making 81.3 percent of his free throws, Johnson is showing a willingness to expand his skillset, shooting 3-for-8 from three-point range this season.
“I’ve been working on (shooting from the perimeter) for the past two years and trying to get more consistent with it,” Johnson said. “The coaches just instill confidence in me, tell me to keep shooting if I make a mistake or miss a shot. They just encourage me to shoot more but not forget what I do well, like get to the basket and finish at the rim. I have to mix it in.”
On the defensive end, Johnson is about as dynamic and versatile as it gets. The former Illinois Mr. Basketball is 6-foot-9, 250 pounds and can defend all five positions. It’s not common for a player of his stature to be so agile, but Johnson is a unique defender that can switch onto opposing guards on the perimeter and overpower bigs in the paint.
“It’s obviously great to have those physically-dominant bigs down low, especially with Morez really being on a tear the last couple of games,” forward Will Tschetter said. “I’m just super, super thankful for those guys and how unselfish they are. Just being able to go against him (in practice), makes the games feel really easy. I’m super fortunate to be able to play with him.”
Michigan certainly looks like the best team in the country right now, recording 10 straight wins by at least 18 points, and Johnson has been one of the biggest reasons why, according to his teammates and coaches. Even though the recognition doesn’t seem to matter to him, he certainly deserves more attention for having such a massive impact so far this season.
