Michigan’s Jett Howard Earning Top-Ten Draft Buzz with Electric Streak
As we continue to churn through the 2022-23 collegiate season, NBA Draft prospects continue to grind out strong performances, raising and lowering their stock with each bucket, assist and block.
One such prospect is Michigan’s Jett Howard, who is increasingly moving up draft boards with his versatile scoring and NBA-ready perimeter game.
On Thursday night, Howard was at his best, scoring 34 points on 12-for-22, 7-for-13 from beyond the arc, and tacking on a rebound and steal. Not to go unsaid: on the other side, Iowa’s Kris Murray found himself in a groove, scoring 27 points and adding eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal in a terrific all-around performance.
On the season, Howard is now averaging 15.5 points on 45 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Most importantly, he’s hitting on 39 percent of just under seven 3-point attempts per game.
Howard’s remarkable play as one of the key Michigan scorers, all at just 19-years-old, has begged the question on whether he’s a top-ten pick in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft.
At 6-foot-7, Howard might just have the intangibles those in the lottery would be searching for. While he won’t have the overall longterm upside that others offer, he’s an immediate plug-and-play weapon who only stands to get better as an offensive hub as time goes on.
He’s already shown some real progression on that end. Per Draft Digest’s preseason scouting report on Howard: “On drives, the Michigan freshman has great footwork. Since he doesn’t have blow by speed or the ability to overpower defenders, he’s crafty and methodical with his moves getting to the paint. Howard also isn’t an elite ball handler, but that’s fine considering. he doesn’t project to be a primary facilitator anyway. He’s a bit loose with the ball, which hasn’t been a glaring issue to this point, but at the college level could arise as a problem.”
Howard seems to be playing himself into legitimate lottery conversation, but the top-ten in this class could be a whole different animal. And one that he might even be in the conversation for, currently.
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