Morez Johnson Jr. was cleared on the Mavericks' injury report Thursday, Oct. 8, lifting the day-to-day tag he had carried since Sept. 28. He is now available for Dallas' game against the Rockets on Friday, Oct. 9.
What happened
The injury report listed Morez Johnson Jr. as cleared at 3:51 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 8, removing the day-to-day status he had held. He had been day-to-day since Monday, Sept. 28, first with an undisclosed issue, then listed Wednesday, Sept. 30 as day-to-day with a lower leg issue. No further detail was given on the clearance, and the report carried no comment. The previous status of day-to-day is now closed out with no restriction noted.
What it means for the Mavericks
Dallas is 0-0 with the 2026-27 season not yet underway, and Johnson's clearance means he is not a question mark heading into Friday's game against the Rockets at 8:00 a.m. ET on NBA TV. He has no season line logged yet. In games without him, Cooper Flagg logged 33.5 minutes and 21.0 points, Anthony Davis 31.3 minutes and 20.4 points, P.J. Washington 31.0 minutes and 14.2 points, Naji Marshall 29.5 minutes and 15.2 points, Max Christie 29.1 minutes and 12.3 points, Brandon Williams 22.2 minutes and 13.0 points, Daniel Gafford 21.7 minutes and 9.5 points, and Klay Thompson 21.7 minutes and 11.7 points. There is no record with or without him yet, since no regular-season games have been played.
What to watch
The Mavericks have not given an expected return timeline, since none was needed with Johnson cleared. The next injury report will show whether he holds his active status for Friday's game against the Rockets. Dallas also lists Dereck Lively II as day-to-day with a foot issue and Santi Aldama as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, both worth tracking on the next report.
Is Morez Johnson Jr. playing vs Rockets?
He was cleared on the Mavericks' injury report Thursday, Oct. 8, so he is not listed with any status restriction for Friday's game against the Rockets.
When will Morez Johnson Jr. be back?
He is already back. His day-to-day designation was lifted Thursday, Oct. 8, and no return timeline was needed.