‘Those Type Of Glue Guys’: Morez Johnson Jr. Grabs 17 Rebounds, 10 Offensive, As Dallas Mavericks Beat Utah Jazz

DALLAS — Morez Johnson Jr. grabbed 10 offensive rebounds off the bench Friday night. He finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 assists in 23 minutes, 48 seconds, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 112-100 at American Airlines Center.

Johnson shot 5-of-8 from the field and finished plus-20, the best mark of anyone in the game. Through his first eight NBA games, he had averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes.

Mavericks coach Dusty May coached Johnson at Michigan, which won the national championship in April. Dallas drafted Johnson ninth overall in June, and May said the Mavericks do not call plays for him.

“Obviously I’m biased. I’ve known Rez for a long time, but you don’t practice and you don’t train. You’re not in any type of rhythm, and then because of that, he wasn’t in the type of shape that he’s typically in,” May said. “He’s got his weight down. He looks like he’s in game shape now, and the first glimpse was in San Antonio when Naji threw the lob. He thought he was playing with Wemby, but it was Rez, and Rez went up and got it, even though he didn’t finish it.”

“That was the first glimpse where the staff said, ‘OK, his athleticism is almost back.’ But yeah, his energy, his effort, I mean, he’s a winning player,” May continued. “And for a guy that you don’t call any plays for, if he can get you 17 and 13, or 13 and 17, without calling any plays for him, we need those type of glue guys.”

Dusty May Says Morez Johnson Jr. Is Back In Game Shape

Lower-leg soreness limited Johnson in training camp. He was listed with a shin injury before Dallas’ Oct. 24 home game against the San Antonio Spurs.

In the first quarter Friday, Johnson had 7 points and 6 rebounds, 5 of them offensive, in 6 minutes, 13 seconds. His 3-pointer off a Cooper Flagg pass with 2:35 left cut Utah’s lead to 23-22. His two free throws 34 seconds later put Dallas ahead 24-23.

Johnson has been frustrated with his play, in May’s view, but has still made winning plays when they mattered most.

“He’s an everyday guy, so he’s handled it well, but he’s been frustrated. And even when he was frustrated with his play, he was making an impact on winning plays when it mattered most,” May explained. “But I think just now he’s just relieved to be getting back in the flow of playing, and he has to continue to take care of his body.”

“But he looks great. I mean, this is the guy that I think we’ll see regularly,” May added. “He was out-hustling everyone on the court, multiple possessions.”

In the third quarter, Johnson’s pass set up Kyrie Irving’s 15-foot pull-up that put Dallas ahead for good at 72-70. His alley-oop dunk off a Naji Marshall pass with 1:41 left in the quarter made it 85-73, and Johnson pointed to that dunk when talking about how close he is to his best physically.

“I’m back, man. Right here. See that lob? No one’s doing that to us,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s 17 rebounds led all players. Flagg was next with 10, and Johnson also blocked a Lauri Markkanen layup with 16.3 seconds left in the third quarter.

“Dealing with the shin injury, I wasn’t able to be as athletic as I can be, but I’m glad the shin issue’s going away again. Back to being bouncy a little bit,” Johnson explained.

Cooper Flagg On The Effort Behind 10 Offensive Rebounds

Dallas outrebounded Utah 55-41 and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to the Jazz’s 8. Midway through his answer about Johnson, Flagg checked how many offensive rebounds Johnson had. It was 10.

“I thought Rez was amazing,” Flagg said. “But I think just his effort crashing every single time … He was playing both sides of the ball at a really high level, so I think when he’s in that mode, it’s gonna make us a lot better.”

Flagg went first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft and won Rookie of the Year. Johnson went ninth a year later, and Flagg said the two of them will show up every night.

“I think it’s something that stands out with us, and something that I think is really going to be key for us is just our effort,” Flagg explained. “I think we’re two guys that, obviously we’re talented, but it more comes down to the mentality and effort, and we’re gonna show up every night and play our hardest to win and compete at a really high level.”

“So I think that’s just something to expect, and that’s the standard we’re trying to set, and the culture we’re trying to build is just a high-level competing culture where we’re not just going through the motions,” Flagg added.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and moved Dallas to 5-4. The Mavericks host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT.