My Two Cents: Magic's Jett Howard Shows He's Not a Rookie Anymore

Jett Howard didn't have much of a rookie year with the Orlando Magic, but he's excited about Year 2. He got off to a great start Friday, scoring 22 points in a win over Cleveland in the NBA Summer League.

Orlando guard Jett Howard (third from left) is all smiles after scoring 22 points in the Magic's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday on the first day of the NBA Summer League. / Becky Rigel - Orlando Magic on Sports Illustrated

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Jett Howard wasn't the first rookie to be overwhelmed by his initial NBA experience, and he won't be the last. But he's also thrilled that it's over.

The 20-year-old Howard started his second go-round with the Orlando Magic on Friday in the first game of the NBA Summer League in sticky Las Vegas. He was the best player on the floor, scoring 22 points — including five three-pointers — in an impressive 106-79 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That's a nice start, especially since there really wasn't much to his rookie year despite being the No. 11 overall pick by the Magic in the 2023 NBA Draft. He only played in 18 games — scoring just 29 total points — and spent most of the winter in the G League.

The plan is for Howard to play a bigger role during the 2024-25 season, but nothing is given. He knows he'll have to earn it. That's why Friday was a good first impression. He knocked down shots, and the Magic won big.

Two good things.

“I felt good just getting in a rhythm and making some shots,'' Howard said at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas. "AB (Anthony Black) and Tristan (da Silva) and all the guys kind of made it easier for me because they all draw so much attention. When I get feet-set threes, my job is kind of easy.  Next year, any part of my role is going to have to be earned. Whatever that role is, I’m willing to work for it. I’m looking forward to being part of a new team, because we’ve got some new faces. Just the experience of going through the trials and tribulations helps mature you a little bit and grounds you.

"When you get to the NBA, it’s like ground zero. The second year, you get to know the staff a little more and that makes a big difference too. I have a good understanding of what the type of player they want me to be. I know here I’ll have the ball in my hands more, so I can do more. But in terms of that, just coming off pin-downs and making the right reads, that’s translatable. Hitting open shots, that’s translatable. Playing on close-outs, I’m always going to play my game, it’s just a matter of time.''

The Magic won 47 games last year, a 13-game jump from 2023. They were the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but lost in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers, falling in seven games.

They are an up-and-coming team, though, and they added two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Getting better also includes their young guys stepping up their games, and that includes Howard, who played one year at Michigan for his father — long-time NBA player Juwan Howard.

Howard learned a lot from those first few months as a professional. The biggest lesson that he learned? His last name — or draft position — means nothing. Playing time isn't handed out freely.

“I learned that nothing is given to you,'' Howard said of his indoctrination to the pros. "This NBA thing is like the real deal. You can’t come in unprepared and you have to be ready to do your job on both sides of the ball. The G League — (where he averaged 18.5 points and shot 37.7% from three) — did wonders for me, just building and learning. Those guys were really good down there, and they helped me a lot.

“To be honest, you know where you’re at with your game in the NBA, and now it’s just filling in a lot of holes. You’re not working on a vast majority of things, you’re more working on perfecting one thing like my pull-ups, and my close-outs and stuff like that. The league kind of simplifies it for you.''

Howard said he's in a good groove with point guard Anthony Black, and 2024 first-round pick Tristan da Silva from Colorado is fitting right now. He had good open looks on his five made threes, and they played well together. There was also plenty of energy on the bench, with lots of good feels for the first day of summer.

The second go-round is indeed different.

“I'm just more comfortable (in the second year),'' Howard said. "I feel like my awareness for defense, knowing where to be, not getting sped up, staying in my shot, you know more where your shots are coming from and you’re not really hunting as much. It’s kind of just more of a flow of the game now. I’m so used to playing with AB, so it’s kind of muscle memory now. and we’ve been grinding hard for a couple of months back in Orlando. We were just kind of looking forward to this moment.''

Howard wants to be more involved down the road. So he's putting in the work. That's the way he's always been, and that's not going to change.

“I’ve been working on my one-on-one defense, and my team defense and just learning all the principles in the defense and all the terminology and getting back to the fundamentals a little bit on that side of the ball,'' Howard said. "On the offensive end, I just want to learn how to get to the hole at a faster rate when they run me off the line and look up and find open guys and make the right reads.''

He's also trying to build off the highs and lows — mostly lows — of a quiet rookie year. He's able to talk to his dad, of course, but he's a coach, too

“My dad, he’s like an extension of Coach (Jamahl) Mosley, so you’re not going to get much out of him. He’s not going to want to hear you sulk or whine or anything like that,'' Jett said. "There’s a common understanding that we’re going to push through it.

"I kind of go to my mom a little bit if I am down a little bit. It’s kind of good to have a dad like that who’s not going to feed you any BS. He helps me stay level-headed.''

Former Michigan coach and NBA player Juwan Howard watches his son Jett play for the Orlando Magic on Friday during the first day of the NBA Summer League. / Becky Rigel - Orlando Magic on Sports Illustrated

Magic summer league coach Lionel Chalmers liked what he saw from Howard on Friday, too.

"Just being aggressive, and he makes good decisions,'' Chalmers said. "He knows how to pass well. He shoots the ball well. So just, being who you are and trusting what comes easy to you and he did that today.  I thought (Friday's overall team performance) was great. The chemistry was great. I think these guys are together like we’ve been doing it together as one. We even got a technical at the end because the bench was so into it, so I am really happy. ''

Related Orlando Magic stories

• MAGIC WIN OPENER: The Orlando Magic trio of Anthony Black, Jett Howard, and Tristan da Silva combine for 55 points and 11 assists in a 106-79 rout of Cleveland. CLICK HERE

• MAGIC IN-SEASON TOURNEY: The New York Knicks are among the four teams the Orlando Magic will face in group play in the Emirates NBA Cup 2024. CLICK HERE

• TRISTAN DA SILVA'S BASKETBALL SMARTS: Orlando Magic Summer League coach Lionel Chalmers says of Tristan da Silva: "He's very smart, he knows timing, he knows spacing, and he's willing to play with other guys, which is very important." CLICK HERE