In the second quarter of Friday's preseason finale against the Miami Heat, Noah Penda made a play that exemplifies why the team is so excited ahead of his second season.
Penda picked the pocket of an unsuspecting guard thinking he could get past the 6-foot-7 wide-bodied forward. It was set up for Penda to get a breakaway dunk. It was a big moment in a second quarter where the Magic wer fighting back to take the lead.
By the time Penda got the three-point line, something was clearly wrong.
He pulled up quickly, allowing the ball to dribble out of bounds, and began hopping toward the Magic's bench and locker room, holding the back of his leg. The Magic quickly ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a sore right hamstring. Everyone feared the worst.
The news the Magic got was not the worst-case scenario, but it still is not good. And a team that is hoping for better injury luck got dealt three really bad cards in their preseason finale as Franz Wagner (shoulder) and Jase Richardson (back) also left Friday's game with injuries.
Penda's injury is the most serious.
Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports Noah Penda suffered a partially torn right hamstring that will leave him out of the lineup for a "significant time."
Penda missed time during training camp with a hamstring strain. But Beede reports he was told that the injury was unrelated and happened to a different part of the hamstring. Penda's strain had healed before he stepped onto the floor for the Magic's second preseason game at Cleveland. He had resumed a regular practice and game schedule.
Beede also reports that the Magic will continue to evaluate Wagner's right shoulder. It is unclear if he will miss time. Wagner injured his shoulder at some point in the third quarter, taking a bump defensively and then holding his shoulder in pain a few possessions later after missing a jumper before leaving the game.
Richardson is listed as day-to-day with a sore lower back. He left the game in the second quarter on Friday.
It could lead to a longer injury report on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's season opener against the Atlanta Hawks. And that is an all-too-familiar story as the Magic try to overcome two disappointing seasons.
Familiar problem
The past two seasons have been dotted with major injuries to star players. It has defined the Magic's disappointing seasons after the 2024 breakthrough.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner both missed more than 20 games in 2025 with torn obliques, a rare injury in the NBA. Wagner played in only 34 games last year because of a high ankle sprain and his slow recovery from that injury, including two two-game false start returns.
Orlando kept much of its roster together this offseason under the belief that better health would enable them to see them reach their potential. It certainly seemed like the team was heading in that direction
The Magic were one of the most injured teams in the past two seasons. It was enough to derail their hopes of competing at the top of the Eastern Conference. In an even more crowded and competitive Eastern Conference, the Magic cannot afford to start on their back foot.
Certainly, an injury to Wagner would put them on the back foot immediately. Even within a new offense that has things humming along more smoothly.
There may be nothing to do with these injuries other than let them run their course.
Orlando operated very cautiously throughout preseason, bringing Noah Penda back from his sore hamstring slowly before he rejoined practice. Anthony Black did not play in any preseason games while nursing a sprained ankle suffered during the team's voluntary workouts -- he is ramping up to play and has started practicing in full.
Injuries are a part of the game and a part of the season. Every team will go through them at some point. Very few players get through the entire 82 games unscathed -- only about a dozen players played all 82 games last year.
But for the Magic, injuries hit hard because of this team's history. And because this team just wants to see everyone healthy.
They will likely not have everyone ready for the start of the season. And everyone will be waiting for an update on Wagner's status now.
The tragedy of Noah Penda
The status for Franz Wagner and Jase Richardson remains unknown. But their outlook is considerably brighter.
Noah Penda's outlook, realizing that he will miss months not weeks, is simply a tragedy. Even if this is not the worst-case scenario.
The second-year forward had done a lot of work in the offseason to prepare for this season. He took his rookie year and used it as a learning experience to get into the gym and work, lose weight and develop his skills.
By all accounts, Penda had taken a major leap. He showed much of that throughout the preseason. He was set to be part of the Magic's rotation. Penda was a standout of the offseason and training camp.
Penda was as eager as anyone for the season. Everyone was eager to see how much he had grown in his second season.
It does not appear that Penda's season is over. He posted on his Instagram story a message reading "We'll be back, trust the process." He posted on his story him out and about in Downtown Orlando on Saturday during this city's Come out with Pride festivities at Lake Eola.
He would not be doing that if he was being wrapped up in bubble wrap and set for season-ending and career-changing surgery.
Still, this is time on the shelf, waiting to heal and then eventually in rehab before he returns. Whether he makes a speedy recovery and is back in December -- previous partially torn hamstrings missed about 20 games, or a quarter of the season -- or Christmas or not until January or beyond, it is time that the Magic will not have a projected key player.
That has been the story for the last few seasons in Orlando. The Magic will have to find a way.
Add us as a preferred source on Google