ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – It’s a one and done for Michigan’s Jett Howard as he enters the 2023 draft after his freshman year at Michigan. He was Michigan’s second leading scorer at 14.3 points per game and was All-Big Ten third team making the All-Freshman team.
Howard says, “This was a great learning year for me. It’s what I needed. It taught me how to play within a pro-style offense and be effective, to get out of my comfort zone, and play with other good players.”
In the 2023 NBA Draft Rankings, Howard is the no. 16 overall prospect. His stardom rose during January when he scored 34 points against Iowa as it looked like he might become a top-10 pick. Injuries then set in after January as he had issues with his ankles. Because of that and consulting his father, Juwan, Michigan sat him out of the two NIT post-season games.
“I’ve had both ankles nagging for a while, so my dad and the coaching staff agreed with the specialist that it’s better for me to get 100%. I was only 50%-60% for most of the Big Ten. My dad being the coach, he is was looking out for me and wanted the best for my health. He understands that ankles are tricky. I met with a specialist after the Big Ten Tournament and they wanted me to rehab for four to five weeks. Thank God it doesn’t require surgery or anything like that,” says Howard.
Howard played one season for his father, Juwan, and with his brother, Jace. It was a special situation for the family. Jett says, “I didn’t know how much time I would have at Michigan, so I wanted to make the most of it. It was a unique situation here with my brother and dad. I didn’t want to take this time for granted, which meant playing through injuries. My thought process was if I could do something out there to impact the game, if I could help my team win a few more games and make the NCAA Tournament, I was going to do that. Playing for my dad was a beautiful experience. He’s a fun person to be around on a day-to-day basis.”
The NBA Draft combine is May 15-21 in Chicago with the draft taking place in Brooklyn, New York on June 22.
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