Magic rookie Izaiyah Nelson, as well as second-year pros Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, will headline Orlando‘s roster for summer league that begins next week.
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The trio will be joined by a mixture of experienced players and rookies aiming to standout in Las Vegas.
The group won’t be coached by new Magic head coach Sean Sweeney. Instead, new Orlando assistant coach and director of player development D.J Bakker will be summer league coach.
Sweeney previously said he had coached “plenty” of summer league games throughout his 13 years as an assistant coach so it’s not a surprise he assigned summer league coaching duties to Bakker, who brings plenty of his own experience to the Magic. Before coming to Orlando, Bakker spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Hornets, while also serving as head coach for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.
Bakker will guide an older but intriguing summer league roster that includes Magic two-way center Colin Castleton, two-way guard Alex Morales, nine rookies, four players with one year of NBA experience and seven players with two or more years.
For comparison, last year’s initial Magic summer league squad featured 14 rookies, just three players with one year of NBA experience and only two players with at least two years.
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The most “veteran” player of the bunch is Cam Reddish, a 2019 first-round pick who’s appeared in 254 career NBA regular-season games across six seasons with the Hawks, Knicks, Trail Blazers and the Lakers. Reddish, 26, helped Duke capture the ACC Tournament and reach the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
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There’s also TyTy Washington Jr. and Keon Johnson, two fourth-year guards who have split their time as pros between the NBA and G League. Washington has appeared in 74 career NBA regular-season games with the Rockets, Bucks, Suns and Clippers, while also playing in 66 career G League contests with Rio Grande Valley, Wisconsin, Valley Suns and San Diego.
Meanwhile, Johnson has played in 161 career NBA regular season games with the Clippers, Trail Blazers and Nets, alongside appearing in 44 career G League games with Agua Caliente, Long Island and Maine.
Other players with past NBA experience include Ricky Council IV and CJ Elleby, the latter of whom most recently played overseas. Council has appeared in 105 career NBA regular season games, all with Philadelphia. Elleby last played in the NBA in 2022 but has since bounced around the G League and international leagues.
There are also plenty of ties to the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, beyond Castleton and Morales. Players on the roster who spent last season with Osceola include: 6-foot-11 center Will Baker, 6-1 guard Ace Baldwin Jr., 6-4 guard Johnell Davis, 6-5 guard Lester Quinones and 6-9 forward Phillip Wheeler.
Intriguing rookie prospects include 6-9 forward Malik Reneau, a Montverde Academy product who spent three years at Indiana University before capping off his college career at the University of Miami; 6-9 forward Mike Sharavjamts, who attended four schools in four years, ending at South Carolina; and 6-4 guard DJ Armstrong Jr., the son of Magic Hall of Famer Darrell Armstrong who attended Windermere High School.
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Magic summer league roster
No. | Name | Pos. | Ht | Wt | Years Pro
7 | Ricky Council IV | G | 6-6 | 207 | 2
10 | DJ Armstrong Jr. | G | 6-4 | 190 | R
11 | Jase Richardson | G | 6-1 | 178 | 1
12 | Ace Baldwin Jr. | G | 6-1 | 190 | R
14 | Colin Castleton | C | 6-11 | 250 | 3
15 | TyTy Washington Jr. | G | 6-3 | 195 | 4
16 | Tre Holloman | G | 6-2 | 195 | R
17 | Keon Johnson | G | 6-5 | 185 | 4
18 | CJ Elleby | F | 6-6 | 200 | 2
20 | Phillip Wheeler | F | 6-9 | 211 | 1
24 | Lester Quinones | G | 6-5 | 208 | 3
25 | Izaiyah Nelson | F | 6-10 | 218 | R
28 | Johnell Davis | G | 6-4 | 210 | R
30 | Alex Morales | F | 6-6 | 195 | 1
33 | Cam Reddish | F | 6-7 | 230 | 6
42 | Malik Reneau | F | 6-9 | 235 | R
43 | Au’Diese Toney | G | 6-6 | 205 | R
44 | Mike Sharavjamts | F | 6-9 | 195 | R
45 | Will Baker | C | 6-11 | 240 | R
93 | Noah Penda | F | 6-7 | 242 | 1
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]