Penda could need an impressive training camp with the Magic to carve out a larger role in 2026-27.
Orlando kept virtually all of its core from 2025-26 intact, so a similar role could be in store for Penda in 2026-27. After averaging only 12.8 minutes per game last regular season, the 2025 second-rounder has Jamal Cain, Tristan da Silva and Jase Richardson as his primary threats for playing time ahead of camp.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Finishes with 12 points Saturday
Rotowire
Penda finished with 12 points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks across 29 minutes in Saturday's 93-88 Summer League win over Miami.
Penda scored 23 points and shot 5-for-10 from deep in Thursday's 86-74 Summer League loss to the Hornets. While the 2025 No. 32 overall pick wasn't efficient offensively and committed six turnovers, he at least remained productive on the defensive side of the ball. Penda played sparingly in his 59 regular-season appearances with Orlando during the 2025-26 campaign, though he averaged 7.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 40.0 percent from behind the arc in two starts. He will likely continue to battle for minutes moving ahead. However, the door is open for Penda to receive more chances to start at some point in 2026-27, even if it takes an injury to a starter for that to happen.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Leads Magic in scoring Thursday
Rotowire
Penda finished with 23 points (9-15 FG, 5-10 3Pt), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks across 30 minutes in Thursday's 86-74 Summer League loss to Charlotte.
Penda is coming off a quiet rookie season in which he didn't see consistent minutes off the bench. However, the 2025 No. 32 overall pick showed some flashes of promise by averaging 7.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 40.0 percent from deep over 33.5 minutes in two regular-season starts. Although Penda has an excellent opportunity to showcase his talent during Summer League, it still may not help him land a stable role in the rotation during the 2026-27 campaign.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Garbage-time appearance
Rotowire
Penda contributed four points (2-2 FG) in six minutes during Friday's 121-90 Play-In Game win over the Hornets.
Penda took advantage of a lopsided result, suiting up for the first time in the past four games. Friday's victory sees the Magic moving on to face the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. Penda is unlikely to see any playing time in the series outside of blowout scenarios.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Fails to score again Tuesday
Rotowire
Penda totaled zero points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two assists across five minutes during Tuesday's 136-131 loss to the Cavaliers.
Penda failed to score for the third time in the past five games, continuing to play a modest role off the bench, despite all of the injuries in Orlando. In nine appearances over the past two weeks, he has averaged just 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game, leaving him outside the top-350 players during that time.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Strong line off bench
Rotowire
Penda amassed eight points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 minutes during Sunday's 130-91 win over the Bucks.
Penda made a tremendous impact off the bench and took advantage of some garbage time in this blowout win. Penda has been a fringe rotation player in recent weeks, so this looks like an outlier performance.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Scores in double figures
Rotowire
Penda posted 13 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals over 19 minutes during Thursday's 124-97 loss to Charlotte.
Penda did nearly half of his scoring in garbage time after the Hornets got out to a large lead. He presumably saw more playing time Thursday due to the blowout and the fact that Franz Wagner sat out with an ankle injury. Penda has shown flashes so far in his rookie campaign, but he simply isn't getting enough consistent playing time to roster in most fantasy formats.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Records career-high four steals
Rotowire
Penda supplied 10 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-4 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and four steals over 27 minutes during Tuesday's 120-112 loss to the Wizards.
Penda played the entire fourth quarter and a career-high 27 minutes as head coach Jamahl Mosley opted to stay with the bench unit after they staged a strong comeback attempt following a 26-point deficit. The 2025 second-round pick notched his fourth game with 10 or more points while setting a career high with four swipes. Penda has bounced between Orlando and the G League this season but has been impressive in the five NBA games, logging at least 20 minutes while averaging 10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks across 24 minutes per game.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Assigned to G League
Rotowire
Orlando assigned Penda to the G League's Osceola Magic on Tuesday.
Even with some injuries in Orlando, Penda hasn't been able to break through Orlando's rotation. In seven appearances at the NBA level, he's averaging 6.7 minutes per contest.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Posts six points in preseason debut
Rotowire
Penda (rest) recorded six points (2-5 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one steal and one block across 15 minutes in Saturday's 126-118 preseason win over the Heat.
Penda made his preseason debut after sitting out the team's Summer League finale due to rest purposes. The 2025 second-round pick isn't guaranteed to crack the rotation immediately, but he could see the floor if injuries arise within the team's forward group. The 20-year-old played for Le Mans in France during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game across 30 appearances.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Impresses in SL
Rotowire
Penda generated 17 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), six rebounds, three assists and one block across 27 minutes of Wednesday's 94-90 Summer League loss to Brooklyn.
Penda scored in double figures for the first time in Summer League, scoring 17 points on great efficiency. A 2025 second-round pick, Penda is averaging 11.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals over three Summer League contests.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Back in action Wednesday
Rotowire
Penda (rest) is part of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Magic, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Penda sat out Tuesday's contest for rest purposes, but he's been given the green light to suit up Wednesday. Penda fell one point shy of a double-double in his most recent Summer League outing.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Won't play Tuesday
Rotowire
Penda (rest) will not play in Tuesday's Summer League game against the Thunder, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
Penda will be held out for the first half of the Magic's back-to-back set, with their next game scheduled for Wednesday against the Nets. The No. 32 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft will rest alongside teammates Jase Richardson and Tristan da Silva.
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Magic's Noah Penda: Grabs 14 rebounds in SL loss
Rotowire
Penda recorded nine points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 14 points, three steals, two assists and a block in 30 minutes during Sunday's 89-86 Summer League loss to the Raptors.
Penda put together a strong stat line in his second Summer League game, posting a game-high in rebounds. Penda was also impactful on the defensive end, matching a game-high with three steals and adding a block. An area Penda will look to improve moving forward is his accuracy from beyond the arc, as he has connected on just one of six three-point attempts thus far at Summer League.
