{"id":361624,"date":"2026-08-03T15:52:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361624\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T15:52:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:52:27","slug":"which-young-orlando-magic-player-is-most-likely-to-step-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361624\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Young Orlando Magic Player is Most Likely to Step Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">The Orlando Magic will look to take the next step forward after falling short in the Jamahl Mosley era. While Magic basketball was put back on the map, the end result was still the same, on the couch watching other teams compete for a title.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">This season&#8217;s team is very similar to the one from a year ago that once controlled a series against the East&#8217;s one seed 3-1, before ultimately blowing it. But that series loss<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/magic\/onsi\/magic-s-biggest-x-factor-heading-into-2026-27-nba-season-01kyvz2azg1p\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> led to new beginnings, as Sean Sweeney will now lead the Magic. <\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">Orlando will need their &#8220;big-three&#8221; on the floor this season, and health will play a large part in their success. But Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane don&#8217;t make up an entire basektball team, the Magic will need others to step up.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">Last season it was Anthony Black, so who&#8217;s next?<\/p>\n<p>Tristan da Silva<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz1qby98pv7c3hpymb.jpg\" alt=\"da Silv\" title=\"da Silv\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7l\"\/><\/p>\n<p>May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) celebrates with Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) in the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7p\">I&#8217;ll go with Tristan da Silva. He has the refined tools to take that leap as long as he embraces the role he receives on this team. da Silva made strides last season as a more efficient scorer, posting shooting splits of 45\/37\/88 (all career highs). His 6&#8217;8 frame gives the Magic versatility at the wing, and they were a better team when he was on the floor last season. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7s\">In the 35 games he has played 30-39 minutes, he averages 14 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while averaging 1.1 steals\/blocks per game. This is also while the shooting splits float around 50\/40\/90. With better efficiency at the rim, and a cohesive offensive system in place, da Silva is poised to take a year 3 leap. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BleacherReport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@BleacherReport<\/a> named Tristan da Silva the Orlando Magic\u2019s \u201cmost disrespected hidden gem\u201d \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>They noted that if he improves as a playmaker and continues to develop defensively, \u201che\u2019ll look like a full-time starter in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 34 career starts:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcca 12.0 PPG<br \/>\ud83d\udcca 4.2 RPG<br \/>\ud83d\udcca\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7JRZpYn6Xv\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/7JRZpYn6Xv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SleeperMagic (@SleeperOrlando) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SleeperOrlando\/status\/2081757725994725624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">July 27, 2026<\/a>Ryan Kaminski- Noah Penda<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz1v4stftppaybhygq.jpg\" alt=\"N\" title=\"N\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"88\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Apr 10, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Orlando Magic guard\/forward Noah Penda (93) passes the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8c\">&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/magic\/onsi\/this-magic-player-is-the-biggest-winner-of-the-sweeney-hire-01kyn2s6fgbz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Noah Penda<\/a> is my pick for likeliest young prospect to pop in Orlando for the 2026-27 season. Between Penda&#8217;s work ethic in the offseason to noticeably add mobility while seemingly improving his 3pt shot after a strong summer league appearance, the Magic&#8217;s Sophomore forward could be due for a big leap in two-way impact. Already bringing a ball of energy, bulk strength, and positional versatility to the frontcourt, Penda could quickly become one of new Head Coach Sean Sweeney&#8217;s favorite plug-and-play options off the bench. Penda proving his role player attributes can fit next to and\/or fill in for Orlando&#8217;s stars is how he could move up to as high as 7th in the Magic&#8217;s rotation, even come playoff time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Matt Hanifan- Noah Penda<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8i\">&#8220;Even though Richardson will have the rock more, I think Sean Sweeney\u2019s going to rely on Noah Penda more because of his size, strength, processing and defensive versatility. He\u2019s still quite raw offensively, where his role may be a little more limited. But I think he will parlay his very strong Summer League into a breakout second season if he gains Sweeney\u2019s trust, which I think he will.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Orlando Magic will look to take the next step forward after falling short in the Jamahl Mosley&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-361624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}