Is Michigan freshman Jett Howard a Lottery pick?

Michigan’s Jett Howard is averaging 14.6 points this season. The 6-foot-8 freshman has made multiple threes in 12-of-14 games and is shooting nearly 37 percent from three on 6.7 attempts.

We are almost 15 games into the college basketball season, and sample sizes are starting to form. While are still six months away from the June NBA Draft, big boards are starting to sort themselves out. Teams are narrowing their lists and starting to hone in on a group of players.

A look toward today’s NBA, and you clearly see the importance of wings. There are two types of wings that bring the most value in today’s game. The play-making wing is the most valuable. This is the wing that has the ball in its hands during crunchtime with the ability to create winning opportunities.

The other type of wing is the three and D wing. This wing has a lower usage rate but is capable of guarding multiple positions while spacing the floor with its ability to catch and shoot. Both types are valuable to winning, and they are both unique.

Howard’s shooting

Michigan lists Jett Howard at 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds. He has a strong frame with broad shoulders and good length. He has good positional size and adequate length with the appropriate strength for an NBA wing.

Howard’s shooting has helped with some of the early success of this Michigan team. The freshman is shooting 36.8 percent from three on 6.7 attempts per game. He is shooting 38.0 percent in catch-and-shoot situations, scoring 1.14 points per possession.

Howard’s 14.6 points per game have been relatively efficient; however, his selection has been pretty straightforward. While he has become Michigan’s top perimeter scoring threat, 74.2 percent of Howard’s shot attempts have been jump shots. He has shown comfort getting into his shot off the bounce and off the catch.

Howard is shooting 38.0 percent off the catch, 38.9 percent off the dribble, and 45.5 percent in the mid-range. There are questions about Howard’s lack of top-end burst and explosion, but he has quality footwork and pace getting to his spots on offense.

Howard on defense

This is an intriguing aspect for Jett Howard. We have established the shot-making ability with a 21 percent usage rate. However, to be a three and D wing, you need the defense.

We mentioned above the questions surrounding Howard’s burst, which lead to point-of-attack questions, but he has good mechanics and motor on the defensive end. While he still makes mistakes on this end of the floor, Howard has a great frame with solid lateral quickness and an understanding of angles to theoretically be able to guard some two, three, and four moving forward.

This is the side of the floor where it is currently more projection than production. Howard has shown some feel for team defense and its concepts. While he averages less than 1.0 steals per game, he has good footwork and rotations; he does average 1.0 blocks per game. There is intrigue on this side.

Jett Howard

Jett Howard came into the college game as a known commodity; he is the son of long-time NBA player and Michigan head coach Juwan Howard. However, his play to this point has been a bit of a surprise, in a good way.

Howard was the No. 41 player in the 2022 On3 Consensus. Listed as a small forward, his highest ranking from the major recruiting sites was No. 39 in the 2022 On3 150. He averaged a modest 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds on 45.2 percent shooting from the field on Nike’s EYBL Circuit.

The feel for the game popped almost immediately. Things are rarely rushed, shots are often comfortable, and the reads, while subtle, have him in good positions. Howard is a good passer; he shows excellent court vision in both the open floor and half-court.

While he did not start the season on many draft boards, he has quickly moved his way into consideration. With the importance of wings and shot-making, the question begs to be asked, has Jett Howard done enough to be in lottery consideration?