The Dallas Morning News’ Mavs experts were conservatively positive with their thoughts on the Mavericks’ Round 1 selections in Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. and Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea.

National pundits, on the other hand? They had more middling reviews for the Mavericks selections.

Check out some of the grades given to the Mavericks after the completion of the 2026 draft.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger: “I’m a fan of Johnson but not quite at this level. I think his offensive limitations are a bit much to select him in the top 10 in such a strong draft. He also has some positional questions on this roster since the frontcourt is so loaded already. Shockingly, he goes ahead of his two Michigan teammates (Aday Mara and Lendeborg), both of whom most had rated higher throughout the draft cycle. Obviously, you wonder how much influence newly hired coach (and former Michigan head coach) Dusty May had on all this.”

Hollinger: “I love this pick for Dallas. I had De Larrea in my top 15 and think teams slept on him while he was hugely productive in Spain the past two years. The Mavs gave up two seconds to move up from No. 30 and make sure they got him, which I see as a justifiable investment given the talent cliff that hit basically right after this pick. He’s a Bogdan Bogdanović-type guard with good size who can shoot and pass and should help Cooper Flagg whether he’s on or off the ball.”

Morez Jr. grade: C+

BR’s Zach Buckley: “The first stunner of the night comes from a franchise that just made a stunning hire at head coach. … It’s hard to say Johnson Jr. lacks potential, especially since he might wind up being the best defender in this draft. He looks like a potential game-breaker on that end, offering both chaos creation as a weak-side helper and tremendous switchability. With all of that said, Johnson’s upside doesn’t seem enormous, because his offensive bag is limited. He won’t create offense for himself or his teammates, and he may not take enough (or at least make enough) outside shots for defenses to pay attention to him on the perimeter.”

Buckley: “After arguably surprising by not taking a guard with the ninth overall pick, the Mavericks moved up to get a pretty intriguing one with Sergio de Larrea at No. 25. The 20-year-old has spent the draft process helping his team compete for the ACB Championship, suggesting he can fill a winning role right now while holding high-end potential for the long haul. With great size for a point guard and serviceable size for a combo guard, de Larrea’s outlook hinges on his ability to tighten his handle to the point that he’s a viable primary playmaker.”

CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno: “The single most important goal for Dallas this offseason was to give Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg a long-term running mate. By selecting Johnson, the Mavs added toughness, familiarity and size in a forward who played for new Mavs coach Dusty May last season at Michigan. There was debate about who would be the first Michigan player off the board, and it ended up being Johnson — who was one of the biggest risers of the draft cycle. But does he have the upside to justify the No. 9 pick?”

ESPN’s Ben Golliver: “The “Michigan Mavericks” added Johnson one day after hiring former Wolverines coach Dusty May. Johnson’s relentless energy as a defender and rebounder was crucial to Michigan’s NCAA championship run, and he’s tried to expand his scoring profile by experimenting with a 3-point shot.

“If that progress sticks, this pick could look amazing in hindsight. Dallas desperately needed more young talent to reorient its roster around Cooper Flagg, and Johnson fits the bill as a player who can capitalize when defenses load up on the 2025 No. 1 pick.”

NBC’s Kurt Helin: “First, Dallas poaches Michigan’s coach, Dusty May, then they draft one of his star players — that duo just won a national championship. Dallas needs defense along the front line and Johnson, 6’9″, is the best defensive forward in this draft, plus he can play some small-ball five. I thought this was a little high to take Johnson in a deep draft, but he was a flat-out winner in college, and May clearly believes he can bring that to the next level. De Larrea is considered the best young player in the Spanish ABC league, he’s got a high basketball IQ and he has great skills. It’s a big jump to the NBA, but the Mavericks might have a steal here.”