After the Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship, head coach Dusty May and his staff had to quickly get to work putting together the roster for next season. They knew a large chunk of their core team would be out of college eligibility, but they also had questions about some guys who declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining their college eligibility.
Aday Mara, Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. were among those in the latter group, and they were all in very different positions related
to the draft process. Mara’s size and production made it seem like he was going to go pro if he received strong feedback from NBA scouts. Cadeau was the opposite, going to get feedback and advice to come out for the draft after next season. Johnson was the true wildcard.
The 6-foot-9 forward put together a strong sophomore season in Ann Arbor, averaging 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 62.3 percent from the field. His offensive profile steadily expanded as well, as he knocked down 34.3 percent of his threes compared to not making any the season prior.
The uncertainty of Johnson’s future made it tough for May to round out his roster through the transfer portal. Nonetheless, he has enthusiastically supported his guys going through the process, hoping they receive information and advice that will put them on a path to success.
“We have one (open roster) spot — we’re just waiting and taking a wait-and-see approach with Morez and certainly anticipating him having a difficult decision because of how well he’s played in Chicago,” May told Andy Katz at the Combine. “But we’ll support him, and then if he does stay in, we’ll be prepared to pivot. We like our team regardless, but obviously, he raises our ceiling like (Yaxel Lendeborg) did last year.”
Johnson has been taking part in the NBA Combine this week, and the early reports are he has earned himself some money. He measured 6-foot-9 barefoot and 251 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 8-foot-11 standing reach. He had the highest maximum vertical (39 inches) among forwards and drilled 17-of-25 three-pointers during the star-shooting drill, a promising development after he took 35 threes this season at Michigan.
While it is a small sample size, Johnson has firmly placed himself in the Top-20 conversation, making it more likely he stays in the process.
In the latest round of NBA mock drafts, CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor all projected Johnson to go at No. 17 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo projected him at No. 20 to the San Antonio Spurs.
While May would love to have Johnson back, his skillset screams NBA player right now.
“Dusty (May) been very supportive,” Johnson told CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter. “Not pressured me to come back at all. He wants me to attack this thing two feet in, until otherwise.”
Johnson is still weighing his future. However, with the week he has had at the NBA Combine and the fact he is creeping up draft boards, he should stay in the draft and take advantage of the opportunity. The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to college is May 27 — if Johnson ultimately chooses to stay in the draft, he should hear his name called on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
