DALLAS — Lower leg soreness has limited Morez Johnson Jr. in Dallas Mavericks training camp, Mavericks coach Dusty May said Wednesday. The rookie went through every other live session in Wednesday’s practice as Dallas manages his workload.
On Monday, May said Johnson had limited time in practice but did not say what was limiting him. The Mavericks did not practice Tuesday.
Dusty May On Morez Johnson Jr.’s Workload
Johnson was working his way back and was close, May said Monday. By Wednesday, the soreness had a name, and the plan for the rookie had become a workload question.
“It’s a lower leg soreness. We’re just managing his workload,” May said. “I think today he was in every other live session, so just workload management at this point.”
Johnson is one of three Mavericks big men who have been limited in camp. Santi Aldama had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on March 17 while playing for Memphis, and he has been limited since the first day of camp. Dereck Lively II is recovering from December surgery on his right foot.
How much each player practices is partly gut feel and intuition. The rest comes from the doctors and trainers, and May is leaning on the sports medicine department ahead of the trip to Macao.
“I’m leaning on our sports medicine department for all things like that. As far as how much we’re loading and things like that, it’s a cumulative effort,” May explained. “We want to be smart. We want to have our players healthy when it really matters.”
“And so part of it is just gut feel, intuition, and the other part of it is what the doctors and trainers say as far as who’s practicing with what volume,” May continued.
Morez Johnson Jr.’s Path To Dallas
Dallas took Johnson ninth overall in June. He had played for May on Michigan’s 2026 national championship team, which went 37-3, and averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 40 games. He shot 62.3% from the field. In the national title game against Connecticut, Johnson had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Before Michigan, Johnson spent one season at Illinois. He set the Illini freshman record by shooting 64.2% from the field.
At Summer League in July, Johnson averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in two games. An illness then kept him out of the Mavericks’ final three games in Las Vegas.
May has not settled on first and second units in camp. He said Wednesday that the staff is looking at two- and three-man lineup combinations instead.
The Mavericks open the preseason against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 at The Venetian Arena in Macao. The teams meet there again Oct. 11.
