Orlando Magic Rookie Jett Howard on Preseason Debut: 'Feels like MyCareer!'
Orlando Magic rookie guard Jett Howard made his NBA preseason debut in Tuesday night's 122-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. The No. 11 overall pick in April's draft saw action in the second half, finishing with eight points on 3 of 8 shooting to go along with one rebound and a block.
And when describing how he felt about it all, the 20-year-old showed his age a bit by comparing his initial preseason action to that of the NBA 2K video game franchise.
"I would say it's kind of sunk in now," Howard said. "I was telling AB (Anthony Black) it feels like MyCareer right now before tip-off. It was kind of a cool moment there."
MyCareer is 2K's game mode that allows the user to design their own player and go through the process of college ball, the combine, draft and training camp before playing through a full-length NBA career. Both Howard and Black have likely played the game mode at some point, resulting in the two sharing the relatable moment pregame.
Michigan Wolverines guard Jett Howard (13) reacts after scoring against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at United Center.
© Kamil Krzaczynski, USA TODAY
Black, the No. 6 overall pick by Orlando this past April, got action with Howard in the second half. He finished with two points and two assists in 18 minutes of action.
"It felt good, we had good chemistry out there for our second-unit guys," Howard said. "We got in a groove.
In his only season at Michigan last year, Howard averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists while playing 31.7 minutes per game and starting all 29 contests.
The Magic and coach Jamahl Mosley will obviously need to see more from Howard at the beginning of the season in order to grant him a larger role in an offense that already has weapons. But based on early indications, Howard can be an elite player for Orlando, even if it takes a year or two for him to get his feet wet.
The Magic will play its next preseason game on the road Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
