Magic Rookie Jett Howard: 'All-Star Caliber'?
The Orlando Magic is excited to bring in Jett Howard to help the team with its three-point woes.
The No. 11 pick in the NBA Draft shined this past season at Michigan, averaging 14.2 points per game while shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the three-point line.
To learn more about Howard and his game, we spoke with Wolverine Digest writer Trent Knoop.
1. Jett Howard was drafted with the No. 11 pick in the draft by the Orlando Magic. Did that spot in the draft surprise you? Should he have gone higher or lower?
If you look at mock drafts and where he was projected to go, yes. But I can’t say I was too shocked. Howard possesses a ton of potential and talent. If he’s put in the right spot he can succeed and could quite possibly be known as an elite 3-point shooter.
2. What are his biggest strengths?
Howard is a fantastic catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter. If he is standing wide open behind the line and gets the ball, you can almost certainty guess it’s going down. He was also good creating his own jump shot from midrange or behind the 3-point line. He can come off screens as good as anyone to catch and shoot. Basically, he is a really good shooter and with that being said, shooters can be streaky at times, but Howard didn’t disappoint much in that area.
3. What are his biggest weaknesses?
He needs to work on his first step for explosiveness and getting to the rim. That really lacked from an offensive standpoint at Michigan, great shooter but couldn’t get to the rim consistently. Defensively, he just needs to get better. At times he appeared to be a defensive liability for the Wolverines. I think he can be a good defender, but it’s almost like he wanted to craft his offense and the defensive part of the game didn’t materialize.
4. Howard played for his dad at Michigan. How did that impact him and his game?
I can’t really say one way or another. Howard wasn’t a player I watched in high school, so I’m not sure how much his game grew or didn’t with his dad coaching. I do know there were times he was struggling, and I thought he should be out of the game and he wasn’t, but there were also times Juwan was seen getting onto him on the sideline. I think overall it was a good experience.
5. Even though he played for his dad, he's a very different type of player. Is there an NBA veteran that he reminds you of, and what is the best case scenario for his pro career?
I might be a little off basis here, but I can see him Mike Miller or Kyle Korver him in. Both were elite shooters and at first, both struggled getting to the rim. I think Howard turns into a much better defender in the NBA while maintaining a good 3-point shot. If he turns into an all-star caliber player, then Orlando will be happy – which is a high-end possibility.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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