ANN ARBOR — Ask any Michigan coach or player about forward Morez Johnson Jr., you’re bound to hear the same description.

Take a spin around the Crisler Center media room following Saturday’s smackdown of Rutgers in the Big Ten opener, for example. After Johnson poured in 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor in 24 minutes to go along with four rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot, guards L.J. Cason, Elliot Cadeau and Roddy Gayle Jr. all offered a similar assessment about their teammate.

“He’s just a dog,” Cadeau said. “He can guard all five positions. I think that’s what makes him different. We can put him on the point guard, and he’ll lock up a point guard.”

Across the room from Cadeau, Gayle and Cason echoed that sentiment.

“I feel like he’s our junkyard dog,” Gayle said. “You really can’t stop him. He’s just too physical, too forceful.”

Added Cason: “He’s just a dog on the boards. He plays hard and wants to win.”

It’s fitting that Cadeau, Cason and Gayle touched on different areas, considering all the different ways that Johnson impacts the game.

He’s the team’s enforcer on defense and, along with center Aday Mara, a vaunted rim protector. He’s a bully in the paint on offense who has no issue scoring over defenders or through contact. He’s a handful on the glass on both ends.

He’s a big reason why, entering play Sunday, the Wolverines lead the nation in 2-point defense (37.5%) and rank second in 2-point offense (64.9%) per KenPom, in addition to posting a plus-13 rebounding margin per game, a mark that’s tied for the fifth-best nationally.

Gayle can at least sympathize with what opponents have to go through with Johnson.

“I deal with it every day in practice, especially when we play games. Sometimes I’m at the four and it’s like, ‘What am I going to do?’” Gayle said. “I get a glimpse of what these other teams get to experience and when you piss him off, he’s a whole other animal.”

Throughout Michigan’s blazing 8-0 start, Johnson has been playing at a high level and Saturday was the latest demonstration.

He hounded the Scarlet Knights on the perimeter and in the paint. His defense generated offense, like when he turned a steal near midcourt into a fast-break layup. He ran the floor in transition. He finished at the basket on pick-and-rolls and through double-teams. At no point was he ever hunting his own shot.

“When you look at our good possessions in Vegas (at the Players Era tournament), a lot of times we got layups and dunks because of his seals, because of his screens, because of his rim runs,” coach Dusty May said. “He does a lot of extremely visible and invisible plays.”

On numerous occasions against Rutgers, Johnson got inside position and sealed off his defender, which led to easy buckets at rim. There were also several times he had to go up to grab a contested post entry pass that led to more paint points.

“He loves contact. I think that’s first and foremost,” May said. “He wins every catch. Our guys have a lot of confidence to throw him the ball, because if it’s a 50-50 ball, a 60-40 ball, a 70-30 ball and he’s at a disadvantage, he typically wins those catches and turns them into baskets.

“There’s trust that’s developed throughout the season … and Morez has certainly earned the trust of his teammates that he’s going to play the right way, play with efficiency.”

Given Johnson’s elite finishing inside — his 68.7% field goal percentage ranks fifth in the Big Ten — and improved free-throw shooting, it almost seems unfair when he’s knocking down 3-pointers.

Heading into the Rutgers contest, Johnson had attempted two 3-pointers all season after not attempting one last season at Illinois and missed both. Against Rutgers, he knocked down both of his 3-point tries from straightaway.

May noted the goal is to have all five guys on the court be capable of knocking down deep balls. And if Johnson adds a respectable 3-point shot to his arsenal, May added it can make teams “more skittish” toward helping at the rim, which can cause a “chain reaction” that opens driving lanes for others.

Yet, Johnson has already provided a noticeable ripple effect throughout the team with his fierce, nasty nature on the floor.

“I think our team has adopted his personality. We don’t have a rugged group by nature. We have some guys that have grown into being tough, rugged dudes,” May said last week. “But Morez, every single minute of every single day he brings a physicality and intensity, a serious approach to everything that he does.”

So far, Johnson has been doing it all — and perhaps even more than anyone May has ever coached before.

“(Assistant coach) Kyle Church and I have worked together for a million years. He said we’ve never had one of those. We’ve never had … a guy that impacts the game in so many ways,” May said. “And now, because of his work and the staff’s ability to help him get better, he’s playing well out of the short rolls, he’s adding to his game.

“The sky is the limit for Morez. … He does so much but he’s also so selfless.”

Heading into the season, much of the buzz and attention surrounding Michigan basketball had to do with all the new pieces.

Coach Dusty May’s portal haul was rated among the best in the nation, with three transfers — guard Elliot Cadeau, forward Yaxel Lendeborg and center Aday Mara — being named to preseason watch lists for the top players at their respective positions.

The fourth and final transfer, forward Morez Johnson Jr., and the top-ranked freshman, former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s star Trey McKenney, each shined in their regular-season debuts with 20-point performances.

Yet, May doesn’t want people to forget about returning players Nimari Burnett, L.J. Cason, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter and their importance to the team. He said as much when he brought up the foursome unprompted when speaking about this season’s roster at the midway point of summer workouts.

“We’ve sat here and Tschetter’s name has come up one time and Nimari Burnett’s name hasn’t come up yet,” May said in July. “The continuity they bring, the character that they bring, the work capacity, the unselfishness where they’re trying to help the younger guys 24/7. They’re spending their time and energy trying to help guys that could potentially chip into their minutes because they want to win and they want to be great teammates.

“Then you throw in Roddy Gayle and L.J., when the prognosticators are talking about we went to the portal and signed this guy and that guy and we brought in this five-star recruit and this four-star, those guys get lost in the shuffle. But if we win this year at the level we’re capable of, if we max out as a group, those returners are going to be a big reason why.”

May’s praise didn’t stop there. During Michigan’s media day on Sept. 30, he called the quartet the “biggest, most pleasant surprise” in the preseason.

“I will say our returners have improved drastically. All four of the guys that were in the rotation last year are much better basketball players,” he said. “Roddy Gayle (in practice) probably had as good of a two-week period as anyone in our program. You guys know how I feel about Nimari. His level of consistency, his routine, his mentorship to the young guys, he just brings so much to the table.

“Then you factor in Will Tschetter, who’s becoming a real shooter, someone who’s able to shoot on the move, get it off quick, not just be a spot-up guy, and he’s able to defend the ball. … Prior to (an ankle injury), L.J. was playing at a significantly higher level than he played at last season.”

May called Burnett a consummate pro and a culture builder with the way he approaches everything. On the floor, he doesn’t care if the ball is in his hands and he doesn’t try to do too much. He simply finds his shots in the flow of the game. Off the floor, May said Burnett attacks his player development plan at an “A-plus level” and acts as another assistant coach with recruits.

As for all the roster additions, Gayle described Burnett as the “perfect leader” for the newcomers.

“If you are confused on what to do, just follow Nimari,” Gayle said at Michigan’s media day. “He always has a steady incline where he’s always getting better just by the basics. I think that’s one thing Nimari does well. He does the basics well, probably the best I’ve ever seen, as far as like stretching, taking care of his body, lifting. You know what you’re getting out of Nimari every day; same with Will.”

Given Burnett’s, Gayle’s and Tschetter’s background of experiences and veteran status, they are the three May turns to any time he doesn’t have “a great pulse” on something with the team or needs help figuring things out that he hasn’t yet.

There’s also an added level of familiarity between the coaching staff — which remained intact — and the returners. Everyone knows what’s expected, even if some roles are different than a year ago, with Cason and Gayle taking on more playmaking responsibilities and Tschetter playing more at small forward.

Gayle, for example, was trying too hard to fit in and “please” his teammates and coaches at times after transferring in from rival Ohio State, May said. Now, Gayle looks much more comfortable.

While Gayle’s midseason struggles last season might lead some to underrate what he can bring to this team, assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. believes a “life-changing year” could be in store if Gayle commits himself to being one of the best Big Ten wing defenders in a league that has a bunch of talented perimeter players.

“If he can make a mark for himself (on defense), he can do well individually, but obviously that’s going to be a big part of us being successful,” Boynton said. “Then on the offensive side, I think there’s a little bit less pressure. All the noise about him coming from Ohio State has dissipated … and now he can just be him as a Michigan returner and be able to play with more freedom and less focus on trying to prove something about who he is. Just be a good player on a really good team.”

Out of the returning cast, Cason has the most natural room for growth and potential to make a greater impact than he did as a freshman, when he turned in several strong postseason performances.

The highs and lows Cason experienced shaped him and should help him become a more consistent contributor, even though he’s been banged up in the fall.

“I think he took all of it in and committed himself to just maturing, being more organized, taking the off-the-court preparation seriously,” Boynton said.

Just as vital as Cason’s ability to get into the lane, collapse the defense and make plays is Tschetter’s ability to connect the defense with his communication and connect the offense with his spacing.

May said it’s noticeable when Tschetter is and isn’t on the floor at practice due to his effort, energy and enthusiasm. In the exhibition against St. John’s, May felt the Wolverines looked like a different team down the stretch when Tschetter was in the game compared to when he wasn’t.

“I’m excited for all of them,” Boynton said of the core four. “Roddy had a good offseason and preseason. Nimari has been as solid as they come. Will is probably as consistent as they (come). He is who he is whether he plays eight minutes or 28 minutes. … They’re all going to play a big role if we do the things we would like to do.”

That’s not lost on May and the rest of the staff. None of them overlook or underestimate the value of Burnett, Cason, Gayle and Tschetter and how the returning pieces will factor into this season’s roster puzzle as it takes shape.

“If we’re ever going to be at a championship level — and time will tell if we’re going to be at a championship level this season — a big part of it is going to be because of the leadership and continuity of those guys,” May said.