The Magic's unsung understudy strikes again

Goga Bitadze earned his first start of the season, and the Georgian seven-footer delivered.

Rim rolling, rim protecting, and running the floor for put back slams; making hustle plays, forcing blocks and steals, crashing hard with offensive rebounding instincts; Goga Bitadze flashed his strong two-way impact as a rim-rolling big man play-finisher in his first start of the season for Orlando.

On top of his highlight block of Zion Williamson and powerful rim-rocking slams, Bitadze posted 14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 offensive rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 assist on 70% TS% and 7/9 2P as the Orlando Magic took on the New Orleans Pelicans in a Sunday afternoon matinee.

Magic Coach speaks highly of Bitadze's impact

Bitadze found easy points for himself in numerous ways; once leaking out transition for a breakaway slam, while generally running the floor hard to clean up any missed layups from his teammates, which happened quite often in this one.

Any time one of Orlando's perimeter players drove to the rim and took Goga's defender with him as a shot-blocker, Bitadze found himself wide open for putbacks and offensive rebounds with no one left to box out Orlando's big man.

He had many hustle plays with three that popped out:

one possession Bitadze poked the ball away for a deflection, defending a pick and roll with a trap near the sideline; another possession, he did it again, this time forcing the steal; a third possession, Goga outhustled a pelicans player who was already boxing him out for an offensive rebound.

I asked Jamahl Mosley about Goga Bitadze's rim-protection and rim-rolling putbacks:

"Whenever he's got an opportunity, he takes advantage of it.

He brings that energy, he brings that toughness, brings that focus.

I thought he was gigantic for us tonight in how he played." pic.twitter.com/y7N48bLlic
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) January 12, 2026

Bitadze tends to be more of a third-string spot-starting center than a regular backup in this rotation; as in, the majority of his playing time and opportunity is filling in as the unsung understudy for Wendell with the starting unit, where he's best able to show off his two-way rim-protecting rim-rolling play-finishing skill-set alongside a slew of starter-level creators and defenders.

Goga generally brings connective playmaking, strong help-side rim-protection, sound rim-rolling, solid screening, and a traditional big man pick-and-roll drop-defending play-finisher skill set.

I asked Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley how big Goga's impact was for this Magic team taking advantage of the opportunity to make his first start of the season. Coach Mose had this to say:

Yeah, I think he does that often for us.

Whenever he's got an opportunity, he takes advantage of it.

Obviously Wendell has been out of games; he has stepped in and played the right way.

He brings that energy, he brings that toughness, brings that focus.

I thought he was gigantic for us tonight in how he played.
Jamahl Mosley