#32: Welcome to Orlando, Noah Penda!

[yoyojw17]

I dont know much about this kid but he was stated to be a FRP in multiple mocks. Clearly Weltman saw something on him to give up multiple seconds to move up. This to me speaks more of a trade coming for one of JI and Goga. My take is on JI. That contract needs to be moved given our current cap situation. Penda is most likely a 4 backup as insurance for JI being gone and/or Mo rehabing.

That's how i see it. It's another Bane situation. "WE WANT THIS PLAYER"... ponied up the picks. His frugalness left us with assets to use when needed. lol

I'm still not sure about a JI or goga trade this summer without it being a great fit incoming. I love JI next to Moe... and i just love the security Goga gives me knowing that he is there. hahah

But.... as the team figures things out early in the season.... i can see things shaking up by the trade deadline if the young players show promise.

Maybe but we still have one roster spot unfilled and still need a PG off the bench. Jase is the only real PG we have on the roster. We cant expect to go far in the playoffs with some type of well known PG either starting or bench minutes. That expiring Sexton is making a lot of sense here. He would be a solid 6th man. IF if doesn't work out then we get off his salary and use elsewhere.

Im not upset with the picks. I saw something that we still have like 9 second round picks over next 7 years. We need to trade these picks for established rotation players. The majority of these picks next couple of years arent even gonna be in the rotation with our core guys more set now.

For the C, I rather keep Goga. ON a friendly short contract and tough minded player who can be solid backup. WCJ and JI are both made of glass and I don't trust their health for an entire season. We need backup C insurance with those two. WE just cant continue to afford two injury prone bigs every year. Its been 8 years of JI, its time. He is going to be 28yo and those lower extremity injuries are going to start slowing him down significantly once those late 20s early 30s comes.

I just don't know what they think about AB. I think he will still become more like what we want him to be.... a playmaker... maybe not the high level fascilitator maybe some people want but... the point guard is already a hard position to play for youngsters. So many crafty older gents out there that makes it tough. BUT.... for me he has taken some great strides from existing only as a defender and spot up shooter in year one into a player that when he's on and aggressive (they go hand in hand) we become tough to beat. What does year 3 advancements hold... I don't know... but i'm down to see. And personally though young.... Jase kinda deserves a chance to get some early reps in at PG as well. High IQ... and responsible. If we can get a jones brother.... that would be amazing....otherwise i would not be surprised if CoJo come back.

[yoyojw17]

I know it's kind of lazy because they're both French, but Penda really does remind me of Boris Diaw.

Diaw came into the league as a not very good shooter, but just brought so many other things to the table as a passer, rebounder and defender. He was a floor raising connector guy who really shined even brighter when he could fill the gaps next to stars like Nash, Stoudemire early on and Duncan, Parker, Kawhi and Ginobili later.

And eventually from age 24-31, Diaw worked his way into being a 35-36% 3PT shooter and that was more than good enough given everything else he could do well.

I was thinking a less athletic AG...sans the ego coming into the league. But.... Boris... i like it a lot.

[ReadyOrlando]

He already looks goodin pinstripes

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[OrlandoDream]

That's how i see it. It's another Bane situation. "WE WANT THIS PLAYER"... ponied up the picks. His frugalness left us with assets to use when needed. lol

I'm still not sure about a JI or goga trade this summer without it being a great fit incoming. I love JI next to Moe... and i just love the security Goga gives me knowing that he is there. hahah

But.... as the team figures things out early in the season.... i can see things shaking up by the trade deadline if the young players show promise.

Maybe but we still have one roster spot unfilled and still need a PG off the bench. Jase is the only real PG we have on the roster. We cant expect to go far in the playoffs with some type of well known PG either starting or bench minutes. That expiring Sexton is making a lot of sense here. He would be a solid 6th man. IF if doesn't work out then we get off his salary and use elsewhere.

Im not upset with the picks. I saw something that we still have like 9 second round picks over next 7 years. We need to trade these picks for established rotation players. The majority of these picks next couple of years arent even gonna be in the rotation with our core guys more set now.

For the C, I rather keep Goga. ON a friendly short contract and tough minded player who can be solid backup. WCJ and JI are both made of glass and I don't trust their health for an entire season. We need backup C insurance with those two. WE just cant continue to afford two injury prone bigs every year. Its been 8 years of JI, its time. He is going to be 28yo and those lower extremity injuries are going to start slowing him down significantly once those late 20s early 30s comes.

I just don't know what they think about AB. I think he will still become more like what we want him to be.... a playmaker... maybe not the high level fascilitator maybe some people want but... the point guard is already a hard position to play for youngsters. So many crafty older gents out there that makes it tough. BUT.... for me he has taken some great strides from existing only as a defender and spot up shooter in year one into a player that when he's on and aggressive (they go hand in hand) we become tough to beat. What does year 3 advancements hold... I don't know... but i'm down to see. And personally though young.... Jase kinda deserves a chance to get some early reps in at PG as well. High IQ... and responsible. If we can get a jones brother.... that would be amazing....otherwise i would not be surprised if CoJo come back.

Im not high on our 2022 draft class at all. Jett needs to be cut and while AB did show some improvement toward the end of the season, I still have my doubts if he is the type of player we need with the core 4 now. He still has little to none offensive bag. He not only will need to defend but give us some points off the bench this season. If he doesn't show something this season, I think he will be traded and we are gonna try to recoup some picks.

[yoyojw17]

Maybe but we still have one roster spot unfilled and still need a PG off the bench. Jase is the only real PG we have on the roster. We cant expect to go far in the playoffs with some type of well known PG either starting or bench minutes. That expiring Sexton is making a lot of sense here. He would be a solid 6th man. IF if doesn't work out then we get off his salary and use elsewhere.

Im not upset with the picks. I saw something that we still have like 9 second round picks over next 7 years. We need to trade these picks for established rotation players. The majority of these picks next couple of years arent even gonna be in the rotation with our core guys more set now.

For the C, I rather keep Goga. ON a friendly short contract and tough minded player who can be solid backup. WCJ and JI are both made of glass and I don't trust their health for an entire season. We need backup C insurance with those two. WE just cant continue to afford two injury prone bigs every year. Its been 8 years of JI, its time. He is going to be 28yo and those lower extremity injuries are going to start slowing him down significantly once those late 20s early 30s comes.

I just don't know what they think about AB. I think he will still become more like what we want him to be.... a playmaker... maybe not the high level fascilitator maybe some people want but... the point guard is already a hard position to play for youngsters. So many crafty older gents out there that makes it tough. BUT.... for me he has taken some great strides from existing only as a defender and spot up shooter in year one into a player that when he's on and aggressive (they go hand in hand) we become tough to beat. What does year 3 advancements hold... I don't know... but i'm down to see. And personally though young.... Jase kinda deserves a chance to get some early reps in at PG as well. High IQ... and responsible. If we can get a jones brother.... that would be amazing....otherwise i would not be surprised if CoJo come back.

Im not high on our 2022 draft class at all. Jett needs to be cut and while AB did show some improvement toward the end of the season, I still have my doubts if he is the type of player we need with the core 4 now. He still has little to none offensive bag. He not only will need to defend but give us some points off the bench this season. If he doesn't show something this season, I think he will be traded and we are gonna try to recoup some picks.

Well.... his bag was.... drive to the basket.... and keep doing it. handles still aren't spectacular... but going north south... he was the closest thing to a freight train on our team to paolo... and even then he still can stand to spend the summer lifting. But... if consistency of high level play take a step forward again i can see him being a massive contributor on the team. NOW.... Jase brings that shiftiness and ball control in the paint that i wanna see. Someone the probes and prods the defense. AND a player like PENDA... just from the film i've seen....with the connective passing and ball movement players like Jett and TDS will feed off of him too. And yes... i still have hopes for jett on this team. This is me thinking of summer league. lol

but in my opinion... in the 1v1 Franz Paolo atmosphere of last year... i find it hard for shooters and finishers to truly feel confident in what they are called upon... especially being green in the league. Shoot.... even KCP needed time to get his groove back. lol

[fendilim]

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Safe to say we gave the guy a guaranteed deal already

[dsg2021]

I know it's kind of lazy because they're both French, but Penda really does remind me of Boris Diaw.

Diaw came into the league as a not very good shooter, but just brought so many other things to the table as a passer, rebounder and defender. He was a floor raising connector guy who really shined even brighter when he could fill the gaps next to stars like Nash, Stoudemire early on and Duncan, Parker, Kawhi and Ginobili later.

And eventually from age 24-31, Diaw worked his way into being a 35-36% 3PT shooter and that was more than good enough given everything else he could do well.

I was just thinking of some parallels to Draymond Green but the Boris Diaw comp is even closer.

[fendilim]

I know it's kind of lazy because they're both French, but Penda really does remind me of Boris Diaw.

Diaw came into the league as a not very good shooter, but just brought so many other things to the table as a passer, rebounder and defender. He was a floor raising connector guy who really shined even brighter when he could fill the gaps next to stars like Nash, Stoudemire early on and Duncan, Parker, Kawhi and Ginobili later.

And eventually from age 24-31, Diaw worked his way into being a 35-36% 3PT shooter and that was more than good enough given everything else he could do well.

I was just thinking of some parallels to Draymond Green but the Boris Diaw comp is even closer.

body type, yes. But Boris Diaw was a PG when he entered the league.

I think Draymond is closer.

[Orlando Dawg]

We’ll see

[eyriq]

From my research

Floor: rotation 7th/8th man who survives on IQ and effort.
Median: the reliable Nico Batum connector every playoff team hunts.
Ceiling (if the shot and handle pop): a chunky Diaw-ish point-forward who can unlock small-ball looks.

[RookieStar]

Most optimistic outcome for both him and our team is....

We sic him for 10mins a game in the POs against Cade, DON, OG, Brown,Tatum,Siakam.. those biggish physical type of players.

[RookieStar]

Alright.. someone compre Noah to CMB?

I mean both 6'7/6'8 sized wing player that defends well and physical but cant shoot.

[Def Swami]

This guy is such an Orlando Magic player lol. Switchy defender that can’t shoot. Didn’t love giving up 4 2nd round picks for him, but sure.

[JF5]

I honestly can see a situation where they have Issac and Pineda playing together off the bench...that would absolutely be a diabolical duo off the bench defensively at the big slots.

[pepe1991]

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"Opposing scorers have an astounding 27.3% FG (!) when guarded by Noah Penda in isolation.

The multi-positional defending, lateral quickness, physicality & overbearing length — these are the makings of an All-NBA defender & Penda fits that bill."

Isolation scoring isn't thing in pretty much any basketball league but NBA, and some college games, with exception of youth leagues.

Reason for it is practical, nba has much wider floor than any other league. Iso scoring in France, or majority of Europien countries just means shooting stepback jumpers, because there is no way in hell you will be driving at rim with 9 men standing in front of you, without defensive 3 sec rule. Whole defense just camps below rim and pretty much every single defensive position is variation of zone. 3-2 or 2-3 , depending how bad or good teams are at shooting.

So sure, those 27% defended FG sounds great but they don't really tell you:
1) how often it happened
2) what's the normal FG% on iso play

Like, even in clutch, only 23% of all possessions in Euroleague ( i can't get French league stats) are actually isolations. Because they simply aren't effective way to score in such narrow space.

Penda in France is PF. That means his key duty on defense is to be one of rim campers, not perimeter defenders.

This is clip from Le Mans vs Paris from two months ago. It paints perfect picture why every player has great defensive stats in Euroleague.
Isolation on elbow, help defense from left, 2 camping bigs (no. 93 is Penda). It's suicidal to even attempt to play isolation because only thing you can do is shoot near impossible stepback 2. No space to drive whatsoever.



Hell, there is whole clip.

Watch on YouTube

It just goes to show you how little Penda ever actually guards perimeter. He is PF/C on defense. French league is by far most athletic league aside from NBA in the world, so his transition to speed will be easier ( Wemby, Zaccharie , Sarr didn't have issue with defense as rookies) , but he isn't used to catching people on perimeter and chasing down guards and forwards 35 feet from rim in fear some Durant will pull up for 40. His defense in France is rim protection, box outs, and occasional closeups on corner shooters.

His offense simply isn't there yet, even by French league standards. It's mostly garbage points, putbacks and short rolls.

Most people in comment section expect to get player that is nothing like player they are getting
He is way more similar to Sekou Doumbouya than any player mentioned in comment section above.
Batum in today's draft, with that feel for a game would be top 10 pick, top 5 probably. At Noah's age he was one of best player in French league + super efficient (61%TS ) and played Euroleague. Matter of fact Batum was so ahead of everybody at his age that he was starter in A division when he was 17.

Magic are getting good prospect. But this whole "steal, elite" is crazy talk. He can defend well. He has high motor. But he isn't THAT tall for PF in nba and he can't shoot and isn't some advanced scorer. Basically Magic are getting unpolished 3 and D guy with no 3.
He is project. Still young. Can improve. But people REALLY need to temper expetations for late first round picks, especially second round picks.

This whole "rotation player" talks and how him and Jase will push people out of rotation ( or be in rotation early on, when everybody is healthy) is just crazy talk. Tristan was "nba ready", taken 16#, older, ready to contribute, with polished offense and defense, and we saw how that played out. He was in rotation, most of the nights he was invisible, in playoffs he couldn't sniff near rotation. And again, Tristan was much higher investment and way more "nba ready" than Jase and Noah are.

[cedric76]

For the french speakers that want to really know who we drafted (I agree with their lu dort comp a bit)

https://youtu.be/7tTzck4Wwy4?si=XQFL3JU5cmWXImMt

Long term project but you ll love him

[CarraT]

From my research

Floor: rotation 7th/8th man who survives on IQ and effort.
Median: the reliable Nico Batum connector every playoff team hunts.
Ceiling (if the shot and handle pop): a chunky Diaw-ish point-forward who can unlock small-ball looks.

That’s your floor for a second-round pick?
Let’s be real, the actual floor for a guy taken that late is never setting foot on an NBA court. If he ends up as a 7th man, getting 20+ minutes on a playoff team, that’s not the floor, that’s a huge win and a fantastic outcome for a second-rounder. Let’s keep expectations in check.

[pepe1991]

From my research

Floor: rotation 7th/8th man who survives on IQ and effort.
Median: the reliable Nico Batum connector every playoff team hunts.
Ceiling (if the shot and handle pop): a chunky Diaw-ish point-forward who can unlock small-ball looks.

That’s your floor for a second-round pick?
Let’s be real, the actual floor for a guy taken that late is never setting foot on an NBA court. If he ends up as a 7th man, getting 20+ minutes on a playoff team, that’s not the floor, that’s a huge win and a fantastic outcome for a second-rounder. Let’s keep expectations in check.

This. Average length of career of second round pick is 2,7 years.

1/3 of second round picks never play single game in nba. That's floor. Just like you said.

[KillMonger]

240 pound cross between Boris Diaw and Toumani Camara

[eyriq]

From my research

Floor: rotation 7th/8th man who survives on IQ and effort.
Median: the reliable Nico Batum connector every playoff team hunts.
Ceiling (if the shot and handle pop): a chunky Diaw-ish point-forward who can unlock small-ball looks.

That’s your floor for a second-round pick?
Let’s be real, the actual floor for a guy taken that late is never setting foot on an NBA court. If he ends up as a 7th man, getting 20+ minutes on a playoff team, that’s not the floor, that’s a huge win and a fantastic outcome for a second-rounder. Let’s keep expectations in check.

That's my floor. Book it