Jett Howard Is The Orlando Magic's X-Factor

The offensive punch Jett Howard could provide for the Orlando Magic could help tilt the scales and make them a contender.

Apr 25, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) shoots a three point basket over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the second half of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Jett Howard was one of the most undervalued players coming into 2023 NBA Draft night. Howard ranked just 19th on the annual 'Draft Twitter Consensus Big Board' and was not a lottery pick by consensus media rankings, but was a legitimate 6-foot-6 movement shooter with off-the-dribble scoring and passing abilities. That kind of player doesn't come around very often, even if he had thwarts.

The Orlando Magic bet on this underappreciation and picked him at No. 11, far above anyone expected him to go. While he didn't play many minutes for them during the 2023-24 season (just 67 minutes), he lit up 2024 NBA Summer League (19.0 points per game on 47.6% 3PT) and has a chance to make a real impact in his sophomore season.

The Magic ranked 24th in the NBA in 3PT% last season, which was the worst figure among all playoff teams during the regular season. That translated to them ranking 14th out of 16th in the postseason in 3PT%. Floor spacing was the clearest issue for them and something that held both Paolo Banchero (54.6% true shooting) and Franz Wagner (57.5% true shooting) back in terms of efficiency.

They addressed this issue head-on during free agency with the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and will likely also boost Howard's minutes to further improve their shooting.

It's hard to emphasize just how good of a shooter Howard is. He can nail threes at an elite clip out of any action; spot ups, off screens, handoffs, off-the-dribble, and with of all sorts of funky footwork and release points. This makes him an incredibly versatile and effective volume shooter, especially with his height. He showed all of this in college (36.8% 3PT on 13.6 attempts per 100 possessions), the G League last season (37.7%), and in NBA Summer League.

On top of his elite perimeter shotmaking, Howard has a real handle that he pairs with absurd touch which allows him function as an off-the-dribble scorer. He has a great middle game with midrange jumpers and floaters galore, although his subpar athleticism limits him at the rim. This'll mainly come in handy attacking off the catch, where he can beat hard closeouts with a one dribble pullup jumpshot or a runner.

He's also displayed advanced passing reads, which will enable him to provide connective passing for the Magic.

All of this makes Howard an ideal dribble, pass, shoot, and play finishing wing that Orlando can plug and play. However, he'll have to show progression as a rebounder and defender, which were the two main concerns pre-draft that kept Howard from playing time last year. Despite possessing good screen navigation, his athletic limitations held him back as a defender at Michigan which showed up in his poor steal (0.8% steal rate), block (2.1% block), and rebound (5.0% rebound) rates.

But if he's able to survive on the defensive end, the offensive punch Howard could provide for Orlando combined with the addition of Caldwell-Pope and hopeful leaps from Banchero and Wagner could be good enough to catapult the Magic into contention. For that reason, he is their biggest X-factor.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.