​Although Sean Sweeney, the Magic’s new head coach for the upcoming season, won’t be leading Orlando’s summer league squad in Las Vegas, he’s aiming to use the next week and a half to lay the groundwork for the regular roster’s focus. In his place at the helm will be D.J. Bakker, who was recently named assistant coach and director of player development under Sweeney. Bakker, who joined the Magic after two seasons with the Hornets as an assistant coach and as the head coach of Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, outlined what the new Magic coaching staff hopes to extract from summer league play.
“Identifying who we want to be as a team,” Bakker explained earlier this week at the AdventHealth Training Center. “Understanding what standards and expectations we want to set with the players. What kind of work environment do we want to create for the staff and the players? What does it look like? What does it feel like? The energy, the competitiveness, and the daily consistency to strive to be a little bit better each and every day. If we can establish that foundation, that’s our goal. And then, of course, identifying what leads to a highly efficient offense and a highly efficient defense. Establishing those baseline principles and building on them daily.”
To help shape those principles, Bakker will rely on guard Jase Richardson and forward Noah Penda. The Magic begin summer league Thursday night against the Hornets at Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. The two second-year players spoke about what Sweeney and Bakker want to see from them out west, and their views were aligned.
“I think the main thing they’re emphasizing is leadership—being the most vocal guy in here, especially at the point guard position,” Richardson said. “Just being as vocal as I can, helping the other guys out and making sure my voice is heard offensively and defensively.”
Penda, who hails from France, added: “Coach Sweeney asked me to be one of the most vocal guys, especially on defense. I want to say it’s the hardest part for me to be vocal, particularly because of the language barrier, even though I think my English is pretty good.”
For Richardson and Penda, summer league represents an opportunity to make a strong first impression on Sweeney while also showing what they’ve worked on during the offseason. “I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work on my body this summer,” Richardson said. “I feel stronger, quicker, more agile, more in shape and more conditioned. I definitely feel better in those areas.”
As rookies, Richardson averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.9 minutes per game across 54 contests, while Penda posted 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 12.8 minutes per game across 59 games. Both players enter summer league ready to showcase growth and leadership while aligning with the franchise’s emerging identity.