How Magic Replace Noah Penda in Rotation After New Injury

Noah Penda was due for big things this season with the Orlando Magic.

Maybe that second-year leap will still come for the spry forward; but for now, it's been put on pause.

Reports from Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel have broken on Twitter that Penda unfortunately suffered an injury in the Magic's last game of the preseason versus the Heat, less than a week from the start of the 2026-27 regular season. The injury is noted to be a partially torn right hamstring.

The Magic host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, which should be a good test after Atlanta surged late last season. It will do so without Penda, who is expected to miss significant time, though the exact length was not disclosed.

Who Replaces Penda in Orlando's Rotation?

Penda's skillset and presence on the hardwood will be sorely missed, bringing intensity and versatility to both ends with an improving three point shot and redefined physical mobility.

Penda had made strides with a strong preseason, earning praise from his Summer League teammate Jase Richardson. Richardson is looking to make his own leap, after not getting regular rotation work last season.

Penda was expected to play a big role as a big wing defensive stopper who can hit open three, attack closeouts with strength, and make winning plays on the margins. That sort of player is even more valuable in an improved Eastern Conference, which has seen the additions of Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James this offseason, while Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antekounmpo were traded to contenders inside the conference.

With rookie forward Izaiyah Nelson also out for awhile as Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac deal with nagging injuries this preseason, Orlando's frontcourt options are suddenly appearing pretty slim.

Thankfully for the Magic, they can lean heavily on their three key players who can play the 3 and the 4 in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Tristan da Silva, all of whom need to find rhythm together with extra playing time. (Wagner injured his shoulder in Friday night's game as well, though there has been no official update).

While Orlando doesn't want to overextend any of of its three primary forwards into another injury, the team can certainly lean on them all with a high volume of minutes as they're all currently thriving in their roles to create advantages and capitalize on them.

One other player who could see their role increase is Jamal Cain. This is another wing the team can rely on in spurts who fits in just about any lineup rather cleanly by filling the fifth spot in the pecking order, always offering defensive energy, bouncy athleticism, offensive rebound crashing, and a corner 3pt shot. If Black returns to action, he'd be able to fill in on the wing as well.

Orlando isn't in position to make a significant trade at this point, having moved first round picks for guard Desmond Bane, who was the most available player last season, starting all 82 games.

Penda could've been challenging da Silva for the reserve forward minutes in the rotation, but for now, those ambitions will have to wait.

How will Sean Sweeney handle his first season being an NBA head coach with half his forward room in the rotation missing to injury? That's the first true test to be head coach of the Orlando Magic.