Magic Rookie Jett Howard Cites 'Dumb Mistakes' in Loss vs. Knicks

Orlando Magic rookie Jett Howard found his rhythm in their latest Summer League matchup, despite the close loss.

The Orlando Magic dropped its third straight Summer League game, but this time, it was a close 82-80 overtime loss to the New York Knicks.

"We just made dumb mistakes down the stretch," Jett Howard said of the close loss. "Especially with the ball, so I felt like that probably gave them the edge. When it comes down to a one possession game, so anything can take them over the top."

With the overtime game, the two teams were able to take part in the elam ending set in place for the summer. The first team two score seven or more points in overtime takes the win, setting up for a game winner no matter what.

Howard, though, had a great outing for his third appearance in Las Vegas. He scored 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting and shot 4-of-8 on 3-pointers. He was also active in each other aspect of the game, pulling down three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

"I felt like I got the ball a lot, and it just gave me the confidence," Howard said of finding his offensive rhythm. "Came out early striking and just kept it rolling."

As mentioned, Howard was scoring the ball well, but doing so in more avenues than just shooting 3-pointers, which he's been given the archetype of a shooter ahead of his rookie season. 

"I feel like I'm an army swiss knife. I can do whatever they want me to do," Howard continued. 

Howard showing his ability to continue and impact the game beyond spacing the floor and knocking down 3-pointers is impressive for the 6-8 guard. He's just 19-years-old and already understands that he's going to be attacked with hard closeouts, and he can use that to his benefit. 

For his rookie season, Howard will be able to complement Paolo Banchero and fellow rookie guard Anthony Black well with his skillset, and veteran Joe Ingles will be able to teach him how to excel in his role.

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You can follow Kade Kimble on Twitter @KadeKimble.

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