Magic Rookie Jett Howard Taking Veteran's Message to Heart?
Orlando Magic rookie Jett Howard has spent a lot of time in Osceola getting reps with the team's G League affiliate this season, but it seems those minutes are starting to pay off.
Two-way Magic players Trevelin Queen and Kevon Harris opened up recently about what they've seen from the rookie.
Orlando Magic rookie Jett Howard (13) takes a free throw while two-way NBA veteran Trevelin Queen (13) looks on.
Isaiah De Anda Delgado
"I see his growth as a person and as a basketball player," Queen said. "He’s been playing off of just having to be a scorer his whole life; whether it was with his dad in college or in high school, he’s just been a natural scorer, so for him, it’s just finding that mold of a three and D wing. A lot of people nowadays get paid off of being a three and D wing. So I just told him while he’s down here, yeah, you wanna be up top, yeah, you wanna feel like you belong, but just be the best teammate you could be, have good body language, be vocal, and be coachable."
In the following game, it seemed like Howard listened to Queen's suggestion to embrace being a three and D wing. With Queen playing up in Orlando and G League superstar Mac McClung resting, Queen helped keep Osceola alive versus the Milwaukee Bucks affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Trailing by four points in the final minute, Howard raced down the court, stole the ball, and pulled up for a three-pointer to cut the lead to one point. After the Herd hit a couple of three-pointers, Howard would again come up big, hitting another three to tie it on a quick shot.
Unfortunately, the Herd would take the lead with two seconds left, leaving the Magic coming up just short of victory. Still, Howard's commitment to perimeter defense and belief in his three-point shot nearly willed the team to a victory in the game's final seconds.
Osceola head coach Dylan Murphy spoke about Howard after his impressive 26-point scoring output against Wisconsin, which included five made three-pointers.
"Jett's growth has been great," Murphy said. "He's building for a long NBA career, so anything we can do to help him, we wanna do. We feel like he's been getting better every day."
Howard's teammate, Harris, was complimentary about what it's been like playing with him after the game. "He's a great scorer," Harris said. "Obviously, he shoots the ball at a high clip. He's been doing his thing, and we've been having fun playing together."
