Morez Johnson Jr. is getting close to a return. Moussa Cissé, meanwhile, was absent from Thursday’s Mavericks practice. Those developments pull Dallas in different directions: one center may be nearing a reappearance while another’s encouraging preseason showing is paused by an ankle issue.
Dallas needs to find combinations that can function together as the center evaluations keep changing. Friday’s exhibition against Atlanta is the final preseason game, and the regular-season opener at Houston follows on Oct. 21. The calendar is moving from experimentation toward decisions, even if Dallas does not yet have to force a permanent hierarchy.
Cissé’s Wednesday performance against New Orleans made Thursday’s update more inconvenient. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, four offensive rebounds and three blocks in 16:29 before sitting out the second half of Dallas’ 101-97 loss.
He shot 3-of-6 from the field and made both free throws, but the more useful evidence came around the basket: four second-chance recoveries and three rejections in a limited stint.
That production offered Dallas a glimpse of a center who can affect possessions without being a featured scorer. The offensive rebounds extended attacks, while the blocks showed how Cissé can challenge opponents’ attempts. It was one game, and it ended early for him, but it supplied a credible reason to want more information before the regular season begins.
Thursday did not provide much clarity on when that information can arrive. Cissé’s absence followed the left-ankle tweak he suffered Wednesday, and the team has supplied no diagnosis grade or timetable. May thought Cissé might have played a hypothetical Thursday game.
The coach nonetheless preferred to avoid an exhibition risk rather than rush another appearance. That decision is sensible; it also means Friday’s availability remains unresolved rather than settled by the practice report.
Johnson’s situation belongs in a separate column. He missed Wednesday’s game because of right shin splints, and May characterized him Thursday as really close to returning. That wording creates possibility, not a guarantee that Johnson will play against Atlanta.
It also should not be treated as a direct answer to Cissé’s ankle issue. One player is being monitored after a recent tweak; the other is approaching a return from a different lower-leg problem. Their timelines are distinct, and Dallas’ rotation has to account for both.
Wednesday showed why the staff needs more than a healthy-name checklist. Cissé’s line gave Dallas one useful interior sample before he left. Tobi Lawal and Jorge Diaz-Graham then handled the remaining center work. That arrangement created an opportunity for both players, but minutes forced by circumstances do not automatically become a reliable pairing.
