After being selected with the 11th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jett Howard hasn't fully panned out, and he will likely be on the trade block this season.
In his lone season at the University of Michigan, Howard shot 36.8 percent on 7.3 attempts per game from 3-point range. Howard was then drafted by the Magic to help bolster this team's biggest weakness, but he's been unable to replicate those shooting numbers in the NBA.
To make matters worse, Orlando selected Howard over players like Gradey Dick, Jordan Hawkins, Keyonte George, and Dereck Lively II. All four of those players have turned into high-level role players and contributors on their teams, and through two seasons, it appears as if the Magic whiffed on this pick.
Jett Howard's play through two seasons
Jett, during his rookie season, only appeared in 18 games for the Orlando Magic and never logged more than seven minutes in a single game. During the 2023-24 season, Howard spent the majority of his time in the G-League developing alongside the Osceola Magic.
In his rookie season, he appeared in 29 games for the Osceola Magic, where the 6'6 wing averaged 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, shot 44.9 percent from the floor, and 37.7 percent from distance.
There was a lot of promise and flashes shown during his time in the G-League, which raised his expectations for a big second season. Unfortunately, he didn't have the sophomore campaign that many would've liked to have seen, even with the plethora of injuries that Orlando sustained last year.
Howard, in 60 games for the Magic in 2024-25, averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 rebounds, while shooting 37.4 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from distance. Simply put, it's not good enough.
In defense of Jett Howard
To be fair, he has not had a completely fair opportunity to showcase his talents and skillset. Howard seemingly was out of the rotation and could never get consistent minutes with guys healthy or even out with injury.
It's hard for any young player to find any kind of rhythm or consistency when they don't know how much they'll be playing on a night-in and night-out basis.
The coaching staff never truly gave the media a detailed response as to why Howard's minutes were so sporadic and why they couldn't commit to him. One would have to speculate that two major factors in his limited action on the court were his ineffectiveness on the defensive end and his lackluster 3-point shooting.
Jett Howard's future in Orlando doesn't look great
Although the Magic did exercise its third-year option on Howard's rookie contract, there's no guarantee he's in Orlando for the foreseeable future. Howard's inconsistent play, as well as the Magic's offseason moves, strongly suggest Howard will be on the trade block this season.
With the additions of Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones this offseason, the Magic now have more depth in their backcourt, and it's going to be hard to justify Jett Howard playing minutes now with these two guys, or really anyone else coming off the bench for that matter.
If Jett Howard can somehow turn into a reliable shooter from 3-point range this summer and can play halfway decent on the defensive end, he may salvage his opportunity in Orlando. Otherwise, this is likely Jett's last season in a Magic uniform.