Can Michigan Run it Back? Morez Johnson May Hold the Key

Under second-year head coach Dusty May, the Michigan Wolverines stormed through the college basketball season, tied the Big Ten single-season wins record with 37 victories, and captured the program's first NCAA championship since 1989 in a breakthrough campaign that rewired expectations in Ann Arbor.

It was a statement season, proof that Michigan had leaped from contender to potential powerhouse.

Now, the question is whether the Wolverines can pull a Dan Hurley and go back-to-back.

The answer may hinge on one name, Morez Johnson Jr.

On Tuesday, ESPN reported that Johnson is keeping his name in the NBA draft after a breakout combine performance that pushed him into projected top-20 territory.

That changes Michigan's 2026-27 outlook in a hurry.

The Wolverines would not just be losing one starter. Along with Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, both projected first-round picks, Johnson's departure would mean losing three starters and the team's three leading scorers from last season.

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Johnson started all 40 games during Michigan's title season and evolved into one of college basketball's most complete frontcourt forces.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, shot 62.3% from the field, earned All-Big Ten and All-Defensive honors, and delivered in big moments throughout the year.

In the NCAA tournament alone, he produced a rare 21-point, 10-rebound perfect shooting game against Howard and helped anchor a defense that made Michigan terrifyingly versatile.

That matters because Michigan is already absorbing serious roster turnover.

Mara and Lendeborg are already viewed as top NBA draft picks, meaning Johnson's decision threatens to strip away Michigan's top three scorers and the frontcourt identity that powered the championship run.

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Michigan still has returning guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, a top-five recruiting haul headlined by five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr., and incoming four-star transfers in center Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) and forwards J.P. Estrella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU).

But while Dusty May has continued to recruit aggressively, talent accumulation and championship chemistry aren’t the same thing.

Johnson's rim protection, rebounding, physicality, and two-way reliability cannot be replicated by committee overnight.

Is there still a path back to Michigan? Technically, yes. Johnson initially entered the draft while preserving the possibility of returning, and Wolverines fans held onto that window.

But for a player now sitting firmly in the top-20 draft conversation, keeping his name in the draft, coupled with rising first-round projections, makes returning to school increasingly difficult to justify financially and professionally.

If he returns, Michigan remains a legitimate back-to-back threat with proven star power and elite incoming talent. If he stays in the draft, the Wolverines still have upside, but their odds of repeating take a significant hit.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 1:23 PM.