Magic Center Goga Bitadze to Lead Georgian National Team in First World Cup
The Orlando Magic will get a good look at their squad before training camp even rolls around. The team has plenty of talent participating in this years FIBA World Cup.
One player the team will get to keep tabs on is potential backup center Goga Bitadze. The Georgian center begins play in the World Cup on Aug. 26 against Cape Verde.
Bitadze, who stands 6-11, will have a chance to run up his counting stats. He's the most seasoned NBA player on his squad, and this has already shown during exhibition matches. Georgia took on Montenegro and it won 84-79.
In the exhibition match, the former first-round pick compiled 21 points on 9-of-9 shooting.
In group play, Bitadze's team is battling against Slovenia, Cape Verde and Venezuela. He will have to play incredible basketball if Georgia wants to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Magic has plenty of other premiere talents in the World Cup. Moritz and Franz Wagner are playing with Germany. Paolo Banchero will be playing with Team USA -- albeit getting some center minutes. There's already plenty for Magic fans to watch, but with Bitadze headlining his team and likely leading them to a top-two spot in its group play stage, the center may make a case for himself to earn backup center minutes.
This will be the first World Cup for the Georgians, so they don't have much expectations. As mentioned, Bitadze is the most experienced player on the team in the sense that he's gotten real opportunities at the NBA level.
The team is going to play through Bitadze, inevitably highlighting his skill and making him look good. Whether the team gets the results it wants or not, playing through Bitadze will get Magic fans excited for what's to come as the backup center minutes are there for the taking in Orlando.
You can follow Kade Kimble on Twitter @KadeKimble.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.
Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.
Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.
Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
