Orlando Magic announce signing with the craziest photo choice ever

The Orlando Magic recalled small forward Jett Howard from Osceola, Orlando's G League affiliate, the team announced on Monday.

There is nothing quite newsworthy about the announcement itself — after all, Howard has been recalled to the NBA and sent back to the G League every few weeks. What made this particular return to the NBA unique was the way the team announced it on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Orlando Magic use 2K screenshot for Jett Howard announcement

Orlando's social media post was accompanied by an image of Jett from the NBA 2K video game series. The post received a lot of attention from fans who were confused about why the team used a video game screenshot of their lottery draft pick.

The Magic used the video game screenshot for their Magic Gaming Night, a NBA 2K theme game against the Portland Trailblazers at Amway Center on Monday. The 2K theme is meant to promote Magic Gaming, Orlando's official NBA 2K League affiliate team. Last year, the Magic Gaming Night took place during a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers in early April. There were giveaways for apparel and copies of the NBA 2K game.

While Orlando's social media account made several posts with screenshots of their players throughout the day, this particular post received more attention since it was related to Howard, who has gotten off to a rough start as a rookie.

Orlando had a pair of lottery picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. They used the first one to select Anthony Black with the No. 6 overall pick. Five picks later, Orlando selected Howard with the No. 11 overall pick. Black and Howard have had contrasting starts to their careers. Black was forced into a starting role early in the season, and his 50 games played are tied for the sixth-most by a rookie. Howard, on the other hand, has the fewest NBA appearances of the top 14 lottery picks from June's draft.

Coming out of Michigan, Howard was billed as a skilled shooter with the ability to sink shots from beyond the arc — something the Magic could sorely use right now.

Howard made his last NBA appearance in March, when he played three minutes during a 111-96 win against the Toronto Raptors. He's appeared in 14 games but averaged just 3.7 minutes per game.