Magic rookie Izaiyah Nelson, second-year wing Jase Richardson and forward Noah Penda will anchor Orlando’s summer-league roster that opens next week in Las Vegas. Assistant coach and player-development director D.J. Bakker, fresh from two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and a stint as head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, will run the camp while head coach Sean Sweeney focuses on the regular-season roster.

The roster blends nine rookies with a sizable veteran core: two-way center Colin Castleton and guard Alex Morales, four players who have logged a single NBA season, and seven who have two or more years of experience. By comparison, last year’s initial squad featured 14 rookies, three one-year players and only two veterans, underscoring a clear shift toward experience.

The most seasoned presence is 2019 first-round pick Cam Reddish, who has appeared in 254 regular-season NBA games across six seasons with the Hawks, Knicks, Trail Blazers and Lakers. Fourth-year guards TyTy Washington Jr. and Keon Johnson add 74 and 161 NBA games respectively, while also logging 66 and 44 G League contests. Additional former NBA contributors include Ricky Council IV, who appeared in 105 NBA games with Philadelphia, and CJ Elleby, who last played in the NBA in 2022 before heading overseas.

Bakker’s G League background equips him to integrate these veterans into practice drills that accelerate the rookies’ learning curves. The mix of seasoned players and young talent creates an environment where veterans can model spacing, defensive rotations and off-ball movement that fit Orlando’s system, while rookies gain exposure to NBA-level pace and physicality.

Beyond the headline names, the roster features several players who spent the previous season with the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate: 6-foot-11 center Will Baker, 6-1 guard Ace Baldwin Jr., 6-4 guard Johnell Davis and 6-5 guard Lester Quinones. Their continuity with the organization reinforces the club’s emphasis on internal development and two-way contracts.

The six-day Las Vegas tournament will be the first test for the group. Reddish, Washington and Johnson will be under the microscope to see if they can provide consistent minutes and defensive intensity against other NBA hopefuls. Strong performances could translate into deeper roles for the veterans, while the rookies, especially Nelson, will be judged on how quickly they adapt to the professional game. The outcomes in Vegas will shape Orlando’s preseason agenda and may influence roster decisions ahead of the October tip-off.