Goga Bitadze thrilled for new opportunity with Orlando Magic after 'rough' experience with Indiana Pacers
Goga Bitadze was rarely in the Indiana Pacers rotation. The Pacers selected Bitadze with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he was frequently stuck behind other centers when it came to minutes.
Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis shared a frontcourt for Indiana until February of 2022, and between Bitadze being drafted and that date, the Pacers also deployed JaKarr Sampson, Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis, Jalen Smith, and Isaiah Jackson at the five. They had a very crowded frontcourt.
That left few opportunities for Bitadze. He never appeared in more than 54 games in a season for the blue and gold — granted, he was injured at times — and in 85 of his 170 (50%) appearances for the Pacers, he played for less than 10 minutes in total.
Playing time was hard to come by for the Georgian center, who also had three different head coaches with the franchise. When Smith and Jackson joined the organization, there were too many young bigs on the roster, and Bitadze was waived at the 2023 trade deadline to facilitate trades. His time with Indiana ended with a whimper, and the franchise had to give up on a former top-20 pick.
But the young center wasn't upset that he was let go. "I was happy I got waived. It was good for me," Bitadze said on Sunday. He was back in Indiana for the first time since being a member of the Pacers. "It ended up being a great thing for me. I'm blessed. Happy that happened."
The 24-year old center is now with the Orlando Magic, which is the team he signed with right after Indiana let him go. And with Wendell Carter Jr injured for Orlando, he's been needed often this season — Bitadze has started in eight of the Magic's 13 games so far.
The young center is happy to be in Orlando. He said it's been a great year for him since joining the franchise. He loves the vibes and his teammates, and it's clear they love him back — while Bitadze was speaking to reporters in the Magic locker room on Sunday, guard Jalen Suggs had his hand on Bitadze's shoulder.
At that moment, Bitadze was looking forward to winning. "I've got great teammates, I've got a great team. Can't wait to get this win," he said. Up until that point in the season, the former Pacer was averaging 7.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
His stats sell his season short, though. He's been defending at a high level for the Magic. His steal and block rates are both above his career averages, and he's been a deterrent at the rim all season long. Orlando is tied for the number one defensive rating in the NBA, and Bitadze has been a big part of that.
His defense always looked decent in Indiana, but he often felt either too slow to make up for his positioning errors or too aggressive. Now, he's significantly improved that balance. His Defensive Box Plus-Minus, a stat that is designed to capture defensive impact in one number, is +3.7. It never was above +1.8 with Indiana.
Currently armed with consistent playing time, Bitadze is playing well. Last year, in an interview with AllPacers, the young center discussed his minutes briefly while talking about the Pacers season. "I don't get a whole lot of playing time right now. I've just got to stay patient, stay ready, do great in practices. Get better with the guys," he said.
Without getting into specifics, Bitadze did share that he wasn't always happy during his time with the blue and gold. "It was rough. Ups and downs," he said Sunday. "Mixed emotions overall. Just can't wait to go out there and hoop."
Bitadze always wanted a consistent opportunity. He felt like he was at his best when he knew that he was going to play in a game. When that happened consistently for a long period and he could get a rhythm, his impact climbed.
That exact situation is when his best-ever stretch for Indiana took place — for a two month time frame at the end of the 2021-22 season, Bitadze played in 20 out of 25 games and averaged over 20 minutes per game. His per game averages of 10.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in that span were solid, and he did it while shooting 58.8% from the field and 42.5% from long range. He showed his talent during that stretch.
When the following season began, Bitadze was behind Turner, Smith, and Jackson in the rotation. He played in just 21 of Indiana's first 57 games that campaign, though injuries played a factor. After game 57, he was let go.
Turner has always been talented, and Smith ended up being better than he was in the past when he got to Indiana. The Pacers traded up for Jackson in the 2021 NBA Draft — they loved his abilities. None of their individual moves in the frontcourt were wrong or poorly thought out. They just ended up with a ton of young, talented centers at the same time.
That left Bitadze on the outside looking in often. He learned to be patient. "One thing was, just had to stay ready. Stay working, had to keep working on my game. When my name was called, I stepped up," he said of his time with the Pacers.
He felt like he showed that he could play when he was asked to, but he didn't get on the hardwood much. Now, because he learned about being patient with Indiana, Bitadze thinks he is more professional with Orlando.
"It's pretty good. We're doing good. Team's playing well," he said of his situation with the Magic. He's happy to be able to show what he can do.
That night, he started for Orlando. He had a small embarace with Turner at center court before the opening tip, which Bitadze came away with. He finished the game with eight points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in a Magic win.
The Georgian center was in a good mood on the court after the game. He really wanted the victory and got it. He has grown significantly as a player and person since his time with the Pacers, and he showed it on Sunday.
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