DHJ Quick Take: Masai Ujiri Details the Case for Dusty May
Masai Ujiri broke down the Dusty May hire before the NBA Draft, emphasizing communication, player development, and the coach’s capacity to adapt to the NBA.
- What set May apart? Ujiri pointed to clear communication, accountability, and a relentless approach to development.
- How wide was the search? Ujiri said it spanned head coaches, assistants, international and college candidates in his third coaching search.
- Will May help in the draft? Yes, Ujiri confirmed May’s involvement, citing his familiarity with this year’s prospects.
- What about the staff? Ujiri expects May to add NBA experience as he builds out his bench.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks looked at coaches everywhere before hiring Dusty May, and Masai Ujiri said it came down to communication, player development, and an ability to adapt across levels. The president of basketball operations laid out his reasoning before the NBA Draft and confirmed the new coach would have a voice in Dallas’ picks.
Ujiri made his enthusiasm plain from the outset.
“He’s an incredible coach and leader,” Ujiri said. “We’re extremely lucky to have Dusty May and welcome him to our program and organization.”
He said May’s value runs well beyond the title he just won.
“I think he’s one of the most fascinating coaches in college basketball,” Ujiri said. “Obviously, he’s had championship success, but beyond that, he’s a leader, he develops talent, he’s innovative, and he sees the game differently. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Masai Ujiri on the Mavericks’ Coaching Search
The hire closed a search that Ujiri, months into running the front office, said was the widest he has ever conducted.
“We talked to a lot of candidates,” Ujiri said. “With something like this, you have to be detailed, precise, and willing to look everywhere. This is the third time I’ve gone through a coaching search, and it’s a difficult process because there are so many good coaches.”
That net stretched across the profession.
“You look at head coaches, assistant coaches, international coaches, diverse candidates, college coaches. You look everywhere,” Ujiri said. “We did that, and Dusty stood out in many ways.”
One of his closest looks came at the pre-draft camp in Chicago, where Ujiri watched May work with players and saw a college game that increasingly resembles the pros.
“I saw him in Chicago at the pre-draft camp and spent some time observing him interact with players and prospects,” Ujiri said. “College basketball is a different ballgame now with NIL and the way coaches manage young players. In many ways, it’s become much more professional, and there are aspects of that experience that translate.”
From scheme, Ujiri said, the evaluation turned to character, and to a climb that started at the bottom of the profession.
“I looked at his style of play, how he utilizes size, how he sees the game, and then I looked at the person,” Ujiri said. “He’s an incredible person and someone who will be a great partner. He’s also somebody who earned everything. He came up the hard way, working as a video coordinator and assistant coach before becoming a head coach.”
That path, built one rung at a time, carried weight.
“He’s worked at different levels, coached different types of programs, and continually developed himself,” Ujiri said. “That’s meaningful.”
Masai Ujiri on Dusty May’s Communication and Connection With Players
May’s reputation for reaching players is well established, and Ujiri said it is already surfacing inside the building.
“I think he’ll continue doing it the way he does,” Ujiri said. “Honestly, he’s already doing it with us.”
He has seen it in May’s first exchanges with the roster.
“Even in the way he’s communicated with our players so far, you can see it,” Ujiri said. “It’s a unique skill that he has. He connects with people in a genuine and honest way as a coach.”
For Ujiri, that clarity is the separator.
“One of the biggest strengths he brings is communication,” Ujiri said. “His messaging is clear. There are no mixed messages. He’s a basketball coach through and through, and he holds players accountable while also helping them improve.”
The payoff, he said, is a roster that never has to guess where it stands.
“He does it in a way that makes players comfortable because they know exactly where they stand and they know he’s invested in helping them get better,” Ujiri said. “And that’s something you hear consistently from every player who’s played for him. Every single one of them says it.”
Masai Ujiri on Player Development and the Mavericks Roster
Ujiri said development is everyone’s daily job in the locker room, from Cooper Flagg to veterans like Max Christie, Dereck Lively II, and Naji Marshall.
“When you look at players like Cooper, Max Christie, D-Live, Naji, and others throughout our roster, development matters,” Ujiri said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or experienced. Everybody has to keep improving.”
He pointed to the postseason as the proof.
“We all just watched the playoffs. The lesson is clear. Players have to continue getting better,” Ujiri said.
In a league he sees as razor-thin, that work is the margin.
“This league has become a league with tremendous parity,” Ujiri said. “The margins are small. That’s why player development has to be a major focus. We have to help our players improve every day.”
Ujiri said May’s own habits set the standard.
“He’s direct with his messaging. He’s innovative. He studies the game relentlessly,” Ujiri said. “He travels around the world studying basketball and learning from different environments and different styles of play.”
That study shows up in how his teams play.
“When you look at the way his teams play, you see size, pace, speed, toughness,” Ujiri said. “Those are basketball qualities that translate regardless of level.”
Underneath it, Ujiri said, is accountability.
“He’s a leader, and he’s accountable,” Ujiri said. “He’s accountable to himself and he’s accountable to his players. He takes player development very seriously.”
Masai Ujiri on the College-to-NBA Transition
The move carries risk, and Ujiri said his confidence rested on the whole person rather than the resume alone.
“When you evaluate a coach, you evaluate the whole person,” Ujiri said. “You look at leadership. You look at communication. You look at development. You look at how they build relationships. You look at their basketball philosophy and how they adapt.”
He believes the pace of change across the sport tilts the odds in favor of coaches who can keep up.
“The game is changing. The college game is changing. Player development is changing. The way coaches manage talent is changing,” Ujiri said.
Ujiri acknowledged the mixed track record of coaches making the leap but said May is wired for it.
“Obviously, he’s coming from the college game to the NBA, and that’s something you evaluate,” Ujiri said. “You look at the history of coaches making that jump and what success has looked like. But the game is changing quickly, and I think Dusty has the kind of mind that can adapt and thrive in that environment.”
May arrives with a national championship at Michigan and a 64-13 record over two seasons, a run that followed his 2023 Final Four at Florida Atlantic. Ujiri said that climb is the clearest evidence of how May handles a new level.
“Dusty has shown throughout his career that he can adapt and grow,” Ujiri said. “He’s worked his way through different levels of basketball, and every step of the way he’s improved and succeeded.”
He put the franchise’s case plainly.
“We believe he has the mindset, the leadership qualities, and the basketball intelligence to continue growing and to succeed here,” Ujiri said.
Dusty May’s Role in the Draft and Coaching Staff
Ujiri said finishing the hire before the draft was never the point; getting it right was.
“I think it could have happened at any time,” Ujiri said. “We have to be prepared and we have to do the work properly. Some of these things are extremely difficult to do. Finding a player like Cooper is hard. Finding the right coach is hard.”
The calendar, he said, never drove the call.
“Because of that, the timing wasn’t really the priority,” Ujiri said. “Whether it happened before the draft or after the draft wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered was making sure we got the right person and the candidate we felt most comfortable with.”
With the hire done, Ujiri confirmed May would help shape Dallas’ picks, leaning on his fresh read of the prospect pool.
“As for the draft, yes, he’ll be involved,” Ujiri said. “He’s been coaching college players. He has direct experience with many of these prospects and understands that environment.”
He treats every detail as part of the same long-term investment.
“We want as much information as possible because when you draft a player, that player becomes part of our family and part of our organization,” Ujiri said. “Every piece of information matters.”
Ujiri also expects May to pair his college background with NBA experience on the bench.
“I think NBA experience is important, and I think he’s recognized that,” Ujiri said. “We’ve talked about it, and I know he understands it. I think he’ll definitely address that as he builds out his staff.”
Masai Ujiri on His History With Dusty May
Regarding the details of the search, Ujiri said the two were not close beforehand.
“Not that far back, honestly,” Ujiri said. “A lot of it was in passing.”
What overlap they had traced to the basketball world Ujiri has spent decades in.
“In my past and present life, through all the work we do in youth basketball, African youth basketball, and Giants of Africa, I’ve been fortunate to build relationships with college coaches and interact with many of them over the years,” Ujiri said.
May, he said, was one of those coaches.
“Those relationships have grown naturally through basketball, and Dusty was one of those coaches I had come across through those experiences,” Ujiri said.
The Mavericks will introduce May at a press conference at a later date.
