I made several trips over the last two months to get a detailed look at 2022 Jett Howard. Suiting up for IMG Academy (FL) at the Border League in late October and a one-off versus Calvary Christian (FL) last weekend. This was a great opportunity to see how Diabate stacked up versus some of the best high school competition in the country.

At the Border League event in late October, IMG squared off against Bishop Gorman (NV) and Sunnyslope (AZ).  Bishop Gorman featured a pair of top 50 guards in UCLA signee Will McClendon and UNLV signee Zaon Collins along with 3-star junior wing AJ Storr and sophomore big Osiris Grady (holds offer from Ole Miss). The focal points for Sunnyslope were Pepperdine signee Carson Basham and low D1 guard Oakland Fort. 

Last weekend's matchup against Calvary Christian was a thriller. CC came in as one of the most talented teams in Florida with 2022 4-star offer Gregg Glenn, 4-star junior big Taylor Hendricks (father is former Michigan safety Tommy Hendricks!), low D1 2022 guard Tyler Hendricks and 5-star sophomore guard Marvel Allen. 

Offense was covered extensively yesterday. You can find that HERE. 

Note: this evaluation is going to be a bit less critical in relation to some of the previous content, as Jett is a junior. A year of development at this stage generally makes a drastic difference in most cases. 

Perimeter Defense

Jett was extremely impressive as a perimeter defender. His combination of size/length/positional agility allows him to be disruptive and make a real impact as a versatile guy that can check a few different positions. 

In terms of on-ball defense, he slides his feet well against wings, forwards and guards with average speed. He easily stays in front of 4-star wing Gregg Glenn (holds a Wolverine offer) on the first possession of the clip above. The very next possession he beats 4-star Taylor Hendricks to the spot and blocks his shot. For good measure, Howard then applies full court pressure versus sophomore 5-star guard Marvel Allen, forces him to dribble nearly 20 times and 15 seconds without gaining any advantage.

I really like what Jett brings as an off-ball defender as well. He chases shooters off screens and closes out with great effort, while still being under control. The possession at the :40 second mark above sees Howard chase around a screen before coming up with a deflection due to his combination of agility and length. The very next possession he switches before quickly closing out on UCLA signee Will McClendon, forcing him to take an off-balance fadeaway from 22 feet. 

The only real limitation is the absence of elite agility to defend true PGs/quicker guards. The possession at the :50 mark sees Howard make a great rotation by switching on to top-50 guard and UNLV signee Zaon Collins after his teammate gets caught up in a series of down screens. Collins hits Jett with a sudden crossover and nearly makes him fall. 

[Hit THE JUMP for the full evaluation]

Post Defense

In a limited sample, Jett proved to be a very good post defender. I was shocked at how well he played angles and fought for position against bigger players. 

The first possession above sees Howard deny an entry pass from the wing by fronting the post with multiple efforts on the first attempt and then come up with a deflection when the offense tries the high-low entry pass from the top of the key. Multiple efforts, length, agility and instincts all on display in a single possession. 

More of the same on the next possession, where he once again fronts the post to deny the entry pass. The opposing guard then drives right and the big attempts to seal off Jett, but Howard sheds him and rotates over to alter the shot and force a wild miss.

Jett's success as a post defender is largely the result of him doing his work prior to the entry pass. When the entry pass does get in though, he's simply not big enough at 6'6 to alter shots from legit post players. The third possession sees Jett contest a jumphook about as well as he can, but he just doesn't have the size to really make a difference here. 

Again though, Jett is cognizant of his advantage in doing work prior to the entry pass and I think that bodes well for the future in terms of him defending PFs in the B10 when called upon. I'm very encouraged by his ability to be disruptive in that role. 

Rebounding

Lack of effort on the boards is the only real critique of Jett in my notes. The first 3 possessions in the clip above all display a pattern. A shot is missed in Jett's general radius and he spectates as his teammates and the opposition give multiple efforts to come up with the board. 

The last possession starting at the :25 mark is from my most recent viewing and I was glad to see a positive flash. Howard gets inside position and high-points a rebound in traffic with authority. 

The physical ability to be a plus rebounder is undoubtedly there, as Jett is a legit 6'6, has a solid frame and above average leaping ability. In my experience, most HS prospects that play perimeter roles on offense tend to view themselves as the same defensively. Functionally, that translates to said players lacking motor on the glass at times. We saw this to a certain extent with Glenn Robinson and Zak Irvin early in their Michigan careers. I expect this is something that will get worked out over time. Based on what I've seen from Pops, the elder Howard will not tolerate any lapses in the effort department and I suspect Juwan will take full advantage of any opportunity to teach his son a lesson if it comes to that.