The 2023 NBA Draft order has been set and the list of eligible players is officially locked in. We will look at the top prospects in the draft, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and provide a player comparison for how we see them developing at the next level. Here's a look at Michigan guard Jett Howard.
Jett Howard Draft Profile
Howard appeared in 29 games for the Michigan Wolverines in the 2022-23 season and finished second on the team in scoring (14.2 PPG) behind Hunter Dickinson. The freshman swingman has enough value to be selected in the lottery of the upcoming draft, but it will be interesting to see if that becomes a reality in such a talented class.
Howard possesses great size for an NBA shooting guard (6-foot-8, 215 pounds), and he's probably athletic enough that a team can stretch him out to the wing or power forward at times. The lineage to his father Juwan Howard, who had quite the NBA career with two NBA championships in 19 successful seasons, is definitely something to consider. His basketball IQ is evident, but his skill and upside as a floor spacer in the NBA likely will be what separates him from the late-first, and second-round picks this year.
Despite showing a clear offensive craft last year at Michigan, there hasn't been a whole lot of dribble-driving from Howard, which is a tad concerning for a player with his size and strength. He tends to camp on the three often instead of working to create his own shot. He'll need to work on improving his first step to ensure that he can get by defenders and create separation on his shot.