Johnson reunites with Mavs' May, leads U-M trio in draft lottery - ESPN

Less than six hours after the Dallas Mavericks officially announced Dusty May as their new head coach Tuesday, they drafted one of May's former players with their first pick of the NBA draft.

The Mavericks picked Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick, with Johnson reuniting with May and somewhat surprisingly becoming the first of three Wolverines players off the board in the lottery. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara were selected at No. 11 and No. 12, respectively.

Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward, started 40 games and helped lead Michigan to the national championship last season. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore after transferring from Illinois while also establishing himself as one of the linchpins of Michigan's dominant defense.

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Johnson was considered a late first-round pick throughout much of the predraft process but boosted his stock dramatically over the past couple of weeks.

Asked how it felt to be reunited with May, Johnson said he was surprised and thrilled.

«I was insanely shocked when I saw Dusty was going to be coach of the Mavs. I did not see it coming at all,» he said. «And now for him to be my coach again, I'm excited. It's insane. We just won a national championship together. I can't wait to get there and go to work with him again and ultimately win again.»

Johnson said he was also looking forward to team with last season's Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg.

«I think it can get dangerous, us two on the court at the same time,» Johnson said. «I've been playing against Coop for a very long time. I'm very