Should Orlando Magic Regret Drafting Jett Howard?
ORLANDO, Fl. - With the Orlando Magic more than a quarter of the way through the NBA season, they have exceeded almost every expectation so far. But do they regret a decision they made before the season even started?
Bleacher Report broke down the biggest regret for every NBA team from this calendar year, and for the Magic, that regret was the decisions the team made in the 2023 NBA Draft.
In the first round, Orlando selected Anthony Black out of Arkansas with the No. 6 overall pick and Jett Howard out of Michigan with the No. 11 overall pick.
While Black has played impactful minutes this season and shown flashes of the player the Magic drafted him to be, it hasn't been as easy of a season for Howard. The 20-year-old wing has played in just nine NBA games this season, averaging 4.0 minutes per game.
Jett Howard goes up for a strong finish in a G League game against the Texas Legends.
Isaiah De Anda Delgado
"Then there's Jett Howard at No. 11, an even bigger reach who has appeared in only nine games and is shooting 31.3 percent from the field," Bleacher Report writes. "Billed as a movement shooter, Howard often looks overwhelmed athletically and clearly needs more G League seasoning. Jordan Hawkins, George, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Podziemski all came off the board after him, and each of them would have made more sense at No. 11."
Howard has spent the majority of the season playing for Orlando's G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. He has played in seven games for Osceola, averaging 21.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals while shooting 37.5 percent from three on 10.3 attempts per game.
He hasn't made an impact in the league yet, but the Magic could certainly use his skillset this season. As a team, Orlando is dead last in the NBA in three-pointers made, 3-pointers attempts and percentage.
