Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May smiles as he talks with staff during a practice before the NBA China Games at The Venetian Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Macao.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
By now Dusty May and Morez Johnson Jr. probably have lost count how often they’ve been asked about one another by reporters.
Such is the unique circumstance of having the former Michigan coach and one of his Wolverines stars beginning their NBA careers together in Dallas.
The Mavericks’ preseason finale last Friday, though, provided a rare chance to get another unique player perspective about May. It came from a familiar and popular face in these parts: Dorian Finney-Smith.
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Fans and reporters who arrived early for the Dallas-Atlanta game might have wondered why May and first-year Hawk Finney-Smith looked like old friends as they visited on the court during warmups. That’s because they are old friends, dating to 2015.
That’s when Finney-Smith was a senior at Florida and May was a Gators assistant under first-year coach Mike White.
“It’s crazy because me and my old college teammates would say he was a players’ coach, even though college coaches have the say-so and the power,” Finney-Smith recalled. “I always say the NBA is more of a players league, and that falls in with who [May] is.
“He just cares. Even down to the 14th, 15th man, he cares about you. Even tonight he was asking me about my family.”
Even though Finney-Smith, whom Atlanta acquired from Charlotte in September, sat out Friday’s game, it was a full-circle night in more ways than one.
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During the summer of 2016, to prepare for a potential NBA career (he wasn’t drafted, but signed with Dallas as a free agent), Finney-Smith worked out individually with May. Serving as a rebounder in those workouts was Dusty’s son Jack, who now works as a Mavericks video coordinator.
Jack played for Florida as a walk-on guard from 2020 to 2024. Finney-Smith remained a Maverick until 2023, when he was traded to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving deal.
“Jack was a kid when I was in college and now he’s 24,” Finney-Smith with with a laugh. “Time is flying.”
Dusty May is 49. Finney-Smith is 33. So when Finney-Smith was a senior at Florida, May was in his mid-30s, well past his playing prime as a guard at Eastern Greene High School in Bloomfield, Ind.
Yet, one of Finney-Smith’s most vivid memories of May at Florida is of how tenacious and tireless he was in pickup games.
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“He really bugged out,” Finney-Smith said.
Does that mean he was good?
“I mean, good for his size,” Finney-Smith said. “He knows how to manipulate the game. If you ain’t fast or super athletic and you still know how to play and contribute, I feel like you could be a good coach. Usually those guys turn out to be good coaches.”
Finney-Smith and May remained in contact, and of course the player watched with personal interest as May became head coach at Florida Atlantic (2018-2024) and Michigan (2024-26) and as Finney-Smith puts it “go on all these freakin’ runs.”
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And when May got the job in Dallas? Among the first to text him was Finney-Smith.
“I told him ‘You’re gonna love it here. I know the city, and I know the city’s gonna take care of you.’ It’s a great city. I know he’s gonna love it here.”