The Orlando Magic are known as a franchise loaded with young talent. Stars such as Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner have developed with Orlando as All-Star-level players. Now, their two newest young stars are making their mark as regular fixtures in the rotation.
Bleacher Report released an article, grading every NBA team’s rookie class this season. The Magic are lucky enough to have two notable rookies in their rotation, Jase Richardson and Noah Penda. The two of them have earned the Magic a “B+” grade.
“Both Jase Richardson and Noah Penda are knocking on the door to becoming regular rotation members for the Orlando Magic, a team that's once again been hammered by injuries,” the article wrote. “Richardson is up to 9.4 points on 41.2 percent shooting from three in 15.6 minutes over his last five games while Penda recently had his best game of the season in a win over the Utah Jazz (13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks in 24 minutes). With some more court time and regular roles, this is going to end up looking like a really solid rookie class for Orlando despite not having a pick until No. 25 overall.”
Richardson, the son of former Magic star Jason Richardson, was selected at No. 25 in the first round this past offseason. Given the strength and depth of the guard rotation, Richardson has not seen a ton of action this season. He has appeared in 19 games, averaging 4.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 48.6 from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. With Jalen Suggs’ consistent injury concerns, Richardson has taken on a bigger role in the rotation since the conclusion of the NBA Cup. Although it’s a small sample size, he has proven he can be a legitimate piece of this rotation moving forward.
Penda was selected at No. 32 in the second round of this past summer’s NBA draft. The French forward has played slightly more than Richardson, averaging 11 minutes along with 4.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from three-point range.
Both picks have been useful for the Magic this season as they fight through numerous injuries to the rotation. Richardson and Penda are both 20 years old and the future is bright for the two rookies in Orlando. They can certainly improve upon the already strong grade given by Bleacher Report.