Mavericks' 2026 Lottery Pick Dealing With Injury in NBA Summer League

Dallas Mavericks forward Morez Johnson Jr., the team's 9th overall pick of the most recent NBA Draft, missed the third Summer League game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, which happened to be their first win of the circuit.

It was announced that Johnson was dealing with some soreness in his left calf, and he was expected to be day-to-day.

Johnson still seems to be dealing with that injury, however, as he did not participate in Wednesday's Summer League practice. According to Noah Weber, he had ice wrapped around his calf during the open period of practice.

Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Morez Johnson Jr. did not participate in today’s Summer League practice.

During the open period of practice, he had ice wrapped on his left calf.

He missed Dallas’ last game against the Memphis Grizzlies with left calf soreness. pic.twitter.com/0oWP4CqM40
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) July 15, 2026

Many Mavs fans were hoping to see Morez Johnson compete again, particularly in lineups with more Sergio De Larrea and less Ryan Nembhard, but his status could be in jeopardy for Wednesday afternoon's game against the OKC Thunder, who have one of his former Michigan teammates, Aday Mara.

Johnson had a dominant first game with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 stocks on 12/17 shooting. He was able to drive to the basket, operate in the midrange, and control the rim, but people were hoping to see more from him spacing the floor.

Concerns about his ability to fit with Cooper Flagg haven't really been answered. He has hit one three-pointer in the two games he's played, but people want to see more spacing out of him, as he may have to play a lot at power forward this year.

A frontcourt of Flagg, Johnson, and either Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford wouldn't have nearly enough spacing to operate an NBA offense.

While Johnson's status for Thursday hasn't been confirmed, they also play the New York Knicks again on Friday. There's almost no way they'd have him play on a back-to-back with this calf soreness, especially with the increase in calf injuries around the NBA.

Jun 25, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Morez Johnson Jr, the Dallas Mavericks first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft answers questions from the media during an introductory press conference at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Injury Bug Bites Yet Again For Mavericks

Injuries are a big reason why the Mavericks have been so disappointing in recent years. It started with Luka Doncic's calf strain on Christmas 2024, and it has been downhill ever since.

Hopefully, with Johnson being as young as he is, this won't be too long a setback. It is the Summer League, after all; there's no reason to push him through an injury.

After this, he'll have a few months before the preseason starts in October, which will give him plenty of time to recover and improve his game.

In the meantime, we can look forward to more elite passing from Sergio De Larrea, who set a Mavericks Summer League record with 12 assists in his last outing.

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