Jett Howard is known for his shooting.
He is not afraid to let it fly when he is in the game. If the ball is swinging to him, he is going to shoot it.
That is why the Orlando Magic picked him in the 2023 NBA Draft. They needed shooting and Howard was one of the best shooters available in that draft, if a surprising pick at No. 11.
Orlando had the patience to let him develop and grow. They knew he was not ready right out of the draft and they deferred him to the G-League to gain more experience and playing time.
But the Magic needed him this year. They needed all of him with all the injuries that have hit the roster. They largely avoided throwing him into the deep end as a rookie, but now they had no choice.
Howard was going to sink or swim.
Against the Utah Jazz, Howard was starting to flourish. He was starting to find his legs and find his role with the team. He was starting to hit shots with confidence. Then came Jett Howard on the break and instead of fading to the 3-point line he went to the basket for a one-handed jam, catching Walker Kessler in a dunk that he did not get earlier in the game.
Howard scored a career-high 21 points and made 4 of 10 3-pointers in the game. It was his best game and part of a string of four of five games where he scored at least nine points. And part of a run of games where Howard finally looked comfortable and finally looked like the player the Magic hoped for.
It is not just his shooting anymore. Howard is starting to show the other parts of his game. Time and comfort go a long way.
"I feel like I have always been able to do that since I was a kid," Howard said after the loss to the Jazz. "I've always been able to find the open man and be on time and on target with it. It's more about getting the opportunities to do that. I don't think it's too much development with that. Just development on the other side."
Howard is starting to carve out his niche in the league. With key players like Franz Wagner sidelined the Magic had to throw Jett Howard into the mix for his first real playing time in his career.
For the season, he is averaging only 4.6 points per game. He is shooting 30.7 percent from three on 3.1 attempts per game in 11.2 minutes per game. He has had a lot of spot-up duty. Howard was still looking for consistent minutes.
Since Wagner's injury, Howard is averaging 12.4 minutes per game, scoring 5.9 points per game and shooting 28.9 percent from three. But even then, Howard was not playing all the time.
In his last six games, not including the seven-minute stint he played against the Milwaukee Bucks that ended with him spraining his ankle, Howard averaged 17.0 minutes per game and scored 9.0 points per game. That comes from having more comfort and certainty in his role.
That has helped Howard blossom a bit more.
"We're going to need that spark when he comes in off the bench," Mosley said before the Orlando Magic's game against the New York Knicks. "That is something you don't want to take away from him. Trying to find that balance. He made some great plays in that first half, getting downhill and finding Wendell [Carter] on some wrap-arounds. Just his ability to recognize and make those reads is important. What we talk about is just the quick shots. He is good enough to get his shot off at any time. Just knowing he can move the ball around the horn and get back to him, he can get that shot off."
Howard has displayed more varied offensive ability, something Howard said he has had his entire life. He is making cleaner passes and getting downhill to the basket in transition. Howard is more than just his shooting.
That is also part of why the Magic saw more potential in him than other shooters available in that draft. They see him as a more well-rounded player and that part has started to come out more.
But he knows and everyone knows Howard's value ultimately comes from his shooting. His defense is still a work in progress and his ticket to more consistent playing time is through his shooting. Inconsistent playing time certainly explains some of his low percentages. He is the one player on the team who will shoot at volume.
But even in that six-game period mentioned earlier, Howard shot 26.7 percent on 5.0 3-point attempts per game. Howard still has to shoot.
The threat of his shooting still outweighs his reality. And he is still learning how to take advantage of it.
"I feel like even though I don't hit as many as I want, they still close out pretty hard to me," Howard said after the loss to the Jazz. "Just using my gravity and when I see them come and commit, I can take them off the dribble. I look slow, but I'm quicker than you think. Reading Dell, Goga [Bitadze], like they do a good job of rolling. It's just two-on-one when you come off that ball screen. After that, the defender's just at a disadvantage. So I'm just reading that."
Howard is still learning and finding his place within the NBA and within this team. He is still learning from teammates and trying to find his fit.
It has still been a process.
Even with more consistent playing time, Howard's shot has needed some development. And this ankle sprain is derailing the momentum that he had built—he will miss his third straight game Friday in Boston.
Young players need time to flourish and grow and Howard looked like he was about to.
But Howard's issues are a reflection of the Magic's bigger problems. The Magic need better shooting and one of their supposed better shooters is not delivering even if his volume and penchant for shooting still create some gravity.
Howard still has work to do and grow. But he has shown something worth investing in during this recent run of playing time. Time has brought him some comfort.