As head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate, for the past two seasons, D.J Bakker saw firsthand the success of Orlando’s G League club, the Osceola Magic.
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Now serving as the head coach of Orlando’s Summer League squad and an assistant for the Magic under coach Sean Sweeney, Bakker has had the opportunity to coach some of those same Osceola players he previously faced.
That list includes Magic two-way players Colin Castleton and Alex Morales, guard Lester Quinones and forward Philip Wheeler, all of whom have made their presence felt on both ends of the floor at Summer League.
“I’ve had to coach against them far too often the last two years,” Bakker said recently. “The front office, (Osceola general manager) Kevin Tiller, all of those guys, did an incredible job building out that roster with competitive guys that all love the game.
“They want to play the whole game, if they could,” Bakker added. “It’s really guys (who) love the game, that want to compete and want to see each other do well. That’s the thing I’ve enjoyed the most over the last few weeks of getting to know these guys.”
Orlando entered Wednesday’s Summer League game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 2-1 record in Las Vegas. The Magic will play a fifth game out west based on the outcome of the first four contests.
Last season, Osceola went 26-10 in the G League regular season and finished first in the Eastern Conference under coach Dylan Murphy. So far this summer, that connection has been on full display.
Quinones, a 2025-26 All-NBA G League first team honoree with Osceola, averaged 17.7 points, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 25.4 minutes per game throughout the first three Summer League exhibitions.
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Meanwhile, Castleton averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 26.6 minutes per game in the same stretch.
Morales and Wheeler have made their fair share of highlight plays as well, with both hitting key 3-pointers in Orlando’s overtime win against the Trail Blazers last Sunday. In addition, Osceola teammates Will Baker, Ace Baldwin Jr. and Johnell Davis have seen the floor for Bakker.
“It’s huge,” Castleton said about playing with last year’s Osceola players. “We’ve already been in a couple Summer Leagues, but playing a full season together is huge. Just being able to have that connection … I like setting screens for all of my teammates.
“So, A-Mo, Lester, Phil, a bunch of guys who have played together, I feel like it helps us down the stretch,” Castleton added.
Nelson update
Magic second-round pick Izaiyah Nelson shared on Instagram on Tuesday night that the surgery to repair a fracture in his left ankle was successful.
“Surgery was a success,” the 6-foot-10 forward from the University of South Florida wrote on social media. “All glory to God. Time to start pounding that stone.”
Nelson, who was the No. 51 pick in June’s NBA draft, suffered the injury during the first half of Sunday’s win against Portland. The Magic said Nelson, who signed a two-way contract with the club, is expected to return to basketball activities in three to four months.
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Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]