Magic Report Cards: Jett Howard Has Quiet Rookie Season

Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard didn't play much in his rookie year, but he still showed some promise.

Jeremy Brener | May 19, 2024

Apr 25, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) shoots a three point / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic took a different approach with No. 11 overall pick Jett Howard than most teams take with their lottery picks.

Instead of giving Howard minutes in the NBA or forcing him to ride the bench, they had him get reps in the G League with the Osceola Magic.

So while Howard only played in 18 games with Orlando exclusively in garbage time, he played in 29 regular-season G League games with Osceola, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting over 37 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Howard is set to become the 3-point specialist the Magic need alongside Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but in order for him to get to that point, he needed this season to get reps in Osceola after just one year with the Michigan Wolverines.

While he didn't make much of an impact in his rookie year in the NBA, the Magic are pleased with his progress.

“I think Jett had a great rookie year,” Magic president Jeff Weltman said in exit interviews. “It’s not going to show up to the fans who come to the Orlando games, but Jett had a great rookie year. He got so much better in a lot of areas that we had targeted when we drafted him.”

The Magic hope that the minutes he got in Osceola will translate into positive impact in the rotation in the NBA next season. However, given his impact for the past year, it's impossible to evaluate him properly.

Grade: Incomplete

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Published May 19, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.