Mavericks passing on Brayden Burries is already looking like a mistake

The Smoking Cuban's Will Miller argues that the Dallas Mavericks made a mistake by selecting Morez Johnson Jr. over combo guard Brayden Burries in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dallas chose big man Johnson with the ninth overall pick, leaving Burries to go tenth to the Milwaukee Bucks despite the Mavericks' clear need for backcourt depth and point-of-attack defense.

Miller highlights Burries' strong performances, noting his Summer League scoring average of 23.5 points per game and his strong preseason defensive display with Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Johnson missed time with shin splints during the preseason and faces stiff roster competition, though he is expected to see early playing time with Dereck Lively II sidelined.