It has never been easier to be forgotten in the NBA than it is now.
As more and more talent clamors for spots among the 450, leashes grow shorter. Patience wears thin as the sheer number of options rises. Team context can give a bit more leash, or take it away entirely. It used to be that a first-round pick, especially those in or close to the lottery, would get second contracts even if struggles were present. Now the pressure mounts to decide if a second deal even comes.
Goga Bitadze was on track to become one of the forgotten men of the NBA. Taken with the 18th overall pick in 2019 by the Indiana Pacers, he immediately filled a position of need. Myles Turner was the only true center on the roster and was not exactly a roll man off screens or a prolific rebounder, two spots Goga was pegged to be positive in. Yet that did not develop, and two years later Indiana took a shot on Isaiah Jackson in the draft before buying low on Jalen Smith from the Phoenix Suns.
The writing was on the wall. Goga was not performing, Indiana now had options, and the leash had run out despite being a struggling team. That next year, Bitadze was waived around the deadline. He seemed destined to be remembered in NBA history by only an image:
Forgotten on draft night. Forgotten in the league. It’s a sad but all too familiar story in the modern NBA.
Then the Orlando Magic signed him, and Goga got a new lease on his NBA career.
Offensive Overview
A glance at Goga’s shot chart over the past 750 attempts may be misleading, but it speaks to his overall misuse in Indiana.
Over 170 games with the Pacers, he took roughly a third of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. He stayed in that offensive role despite shooting 25.6% from deep. That’s not going to fly, and neither does his shot; if anything, it thuds.
When the Magic got Goga in the building, the message was simple: “Hey man, stop that.”
43.7% of his Pacers attempts came beyond 10 feet. That number has plummeted to 9.1% in Orlando. Simplifying his offensive game has paid dividends for both the Magic and Goga himself. Focus on what you are good at, not what you could be good at.
This has led to some surprising results.
The Roll and Slam Man
Synergy has credited Goga with 1.3 points per possession as a roll man, a strong mark for a big. In an offense with two primary scoring threats (Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero) the others are often ignored by the defense and forced to beat them. Bitadze is more than capable of good roll possessions when the defense is forced to key in on the ballhandler.
Even when running PNR with players who are less of a threat on the ball, Goga rolls with authority and can finish through contact with a full head of steam.
This ability to draw contact and finish lobs makes him a strong outlet for Orlando’s perimeter creators. He has, however, shown an ability to do more than just finish off the roll.
With Los Angeles mismatched on the above play, Goga seals the inside position off the roll, knowing this will draw help from Mason Plumlee. Chuma Okeke works in tandem by cutting into empty space where Bitadze finds him for an easy two.
Bitadze also knows when to take advantage of help being sent to cover his rolls, especially on empty side actions, and find perimeter options.
The playmaking ability Goga has shown is not elite by any means (56th percentile assist rate amongst bigs) but the ability to recognize gaps and opportunities has served him well in other areas.
Dribble Handoff Utility
I’ve always loved dribble handoffs more than pick-and-rolls. Part of that is the Warriors brain I grew up learning, but on a basic level, it is much easier for the screener and handler to make shoulder-to-shoulder contact. With a screener like Goga the more of an obstacle he can be the better.
With Orlando running a lot of creation through their 3 and 4 in Franz and Paolo, Goga’s physicality is needed to dislodge a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo from the ball. That creates a momentary 2v1 in the above possession where Brook Lopez has to guard the driving Franz while hedging against the lob or layoff pass behind him to Goga. Either way, it’s a great chance at two for Orlando, all created because of that contact at the point of the dribble handoff.
Another important aspect of a DHO is that just the thought of his contact will force the chasing defender to go over and create downhill opportunities. That threat alone is enough to create separation.
Goga is quite good at immediately taking the space that has been afforded to him. With Day’Ron Sharpe committing early to the Franz drive, Goga takes the space behind him to position himself for the layoff pass and dunk.
But there is far more craft to Goga’s DHO game than just being large and in the way.
He’s particularly adept at early slips, preempting the contact to get space through the defense. That is an important read-and-react tool for any DHO-running big to have.
That awareness also translates to faking the dribble handoff entirely, a skill that takes patience and the ability to recognize gaps in the defense if they oversell to take away the ballhandler.
Recognition of playmaking opportunities and processing speed, in addition to passing and a pinch of dribbling skill, makes Goga a fantastic operator of 5-out DHO actions. Bitadze has to evaluate options in rapid succession to take advantage of a spread-out defense. The results so far have been excellent.
Not only can Goga use the 5-out DHOs to open opportunities for himself, but for teammates as well.
It works in more layered actions to boot. Watch below how Paolo and Franz follow the same path, cutting through the middle before Jalen Suggs arrives as a third option.
This requires Goga to rapidly process the best options, and most importantly exercise patience. Instead of forcing it to Paolo or Franz he instead waits for further chances to develop and takes the safer route. That’s not to say he cannot make plays from 5-out though.
Goga is more than a simple roll-and-cut guy. This added utility as a dribble handoff man adds new layers. The ability to roll and score, set strong screens for others, and make the extra decisions and passes helps Orlando flow through their actions better. On a team lacking true depth of playmaking and scoring, this is a huge boon for the Magic.
And there are more ways he contributes to this offense.
Budding Glass Crasher
For the third straight season, Goga is posting an offensive rebounding rate at or above the 73rd percentile for big men. His bruising physicality and size make him a true force around the basket when a shot goes up.
Though very good at getting these offensive rebounds, the finishing tends to leave a bit to be desired. Goga tends to slap and bat at the ball to generally poor results.
There are still some instances where it works, to be sure. But this is a large reason why Goga’s rim numbers look so poor on the whole (31st percentile rim finishing). No question, however, that a few tip layup misses are better than a first-try defensive rebound.
Playmaking Flashes
Beyond the short roll and DHO passes we’ve seen, Goga surprised me as a playmaker from both the low and high post, and occasionally on the move. The bounce passes in particular have my attention.
Sometimes he chooses to get extra spicy with it. What is it with these European centers and their no-look passing?
The opportunities are rare, but Goga has shown an ability to make basic reads while on the move to keep the wheels greased.
Is Bitadze going to be the player you can consistently run the offense through to create advantages and make reads? Probably not. He doesn’t need to be. When the actions flow around him through the other handlers, he’s not a place where the possession goes to die. Surrounded by active cutters and possible shooters, Bitadze shows he can make enough plays to not be a drain without demanding usage, evidenced by his 77th percentile assist-to-usage ratio. That’s more than enough for Orlando’s purposes.
Growth Areas
As previously mentioned, the finishing is truly a mixed bag.
Sometimes Goga has quality tough finishes at the rim, as you can see below:
The touch is generally poor around the basket, however. He clangs a lot of layups off the iron especially when unable to use his right.
Another mixed bag area, which ties to the finishing, is the post game. He’s very inconsistent as a scorer unless he can get to the line.
The post-up thing isn’t a huge wart on his game. But an extra bit of touch and footwork would help him exploit mismatches or make good on the occasional late shot clock bailout possession.
I’d also like to see more consistency as a cutter. He’s excellent when he does it: picking spots, moving between dunker spots, and absorbing contact with his finishes.
It’s not so much a frequency issue, as cutting comprises the majority of his scoring opportunities. It’s the consistency of finding the spots, using physicality to maintain his position, and of course the finishing.
The progress Goga has made on the offensive end of the floor has benefitted Orlando in a major way with all the time Wendell Carter Jr. has missed. Their offense is 7.6 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, a 90th percentile mark in the entire league. Bitadze has become an important cog in this system and proved that his game can translate. And it’s probably not the better half of his game.
Defensive Overview
Since arriving in Orlando, Goga Bitadze has been an absolute force on the defensive end of the floor.
In limited minutes last year, his on/off defensive splits were nothing short of sublime. Opponents scored 7.5 less points per 100 (95th percentile), their eFG% dropped 5.7 points (99th percentile), and the team controlled the glass (77th percentile OREB decline).
Those numbers have dropped off slightly, but still sit in a fantastic range. Those same three categories are in the 77th, 87th, and 58th percentile respectively. The individual numbers back it up as well. Goga currently sits at 10th in overall defensive estimated plus-minus (EPM), one of the most stable catch-all metrics. So, how exactly is a plodding big having such a massive impact on an already strong defense?
Elite Drop Coverage
Goga is not the guy to switch out on the perimeter or hard-hedge a screen. In the rare cases where he finds himself mismatched, it doesn’t go well.
Worrying about switching or playing up to the level of the screen is less of a concern when Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black are navigating the screens. The basic principle of drop is leaving the guard on an island and cleaning up whatever gets through. So when your guards can hold their own on an island, it delineates where Goga needs to be and what he needs to take care of.
Goga is especially good at taking up the space drivers can take, and can even affect shots in the midrange with his length and timing.
Notice the clean footwork, the wide hands, the way he coils himself to get ready for a jump. Goga is a master of conserving energy and waiting for the right time, which is especially necessary when dealing with possessions going behind or to the side of him.
The excellence in drop also applies to dribble handoffs. This is where the hands become even more important. With DHOs, the big is usually going to be closer to the level of the screen before dropping off, and quick hands are needed to make plays before things can get behind them.
The issues show when he plays up high. Unless he can head off the play at the start with a quick steal or block, bigs have no issue with getting in behind his drop for lobs or easy layoff finishes.
Empty-side actions are another way for other teams to take advantage of that space. Without a tag coming from the wing, he is the only thing left to impede the big. When that big is Anthony Davis it only becomes more difficult.
Though there are ways he can be beaten, the overall objective is accomplished. Nearly 70% of the offense initiated against Goga comes from pick-and-roll ballhandlers. If he’s staying in his drop with good screen navigators this is the way things need to be funneled. Deny the roll man and keep the easy attempts off the table, then force them to beat you in the midrange. Considering the results, an eFG% four points below league average, his mission has been accomplished.
And it’s not the only impressive portion of his defensive game.
Constant Physicality
Goga LOVES to throw his weight around. It’s not always to the benefit of the team, but he sure does it.
There are definitely instances where it doesn’t pan out:
This often comes in rotation, on post-ups, or trying to wall off a ballhandler in unsettled situations. The third situation is one where he commonly overdoes the body bump and gets in trouble.
When it comes to being posted up on, Goga has no hesitation to make his opponent extremely uncomfortable.
When he puts the physicality, the quick hands, and footwork together it can be a thing of beauty.
He certainly pays for this physicality in terms of his fouling – this year represents a career-high in discipline with a 37th percentile foul rate – but it has plenty of benefits. He has an excellent 0.86 PPP on post-ups. That physicality also benefits him greatly in rotation.
Rotational Power
When Goga sees an opportunity to make an impact in rotation, he can make some incredible things happen.
Coming from the weak side? He can do that.
Someone wants to take him on at the strong side? Good luck with that.
Anybody who tries to take him straight up is in for a rough time. I respect Gary Trent Jr. for trying here, I do. But it was not his best idea.
He’s also quite good at the non-traditional big rotations. Try to run action behind him or screen him out of the play, he’ll still find a way to make it into the play.
It’s not all perfect. Like many players, Goga tends to overhelp, especially as a player who thinks he can block everything. Though he is often right (95th percentile block rate), it gets him in trouble from time to time.
Overdoing the block hunting can lead to preventable putbacks, as it does in the first clip, or create openings for cutters as it does in the second. As a big, he has a responsibility to control the glass after a potential missed shot. Going all-out to block an already contested shot only adds so much value when it opens up an easy second-chance point.
Beyond overdoing rotations, there are certainly rebounding concerns to address.
Rebounding Struggles
For someone as big as Goga is, he does tend to get outmuscled on the glass with annoying frequency. Players know how to get leverage underneath him to take him off center. In short, he needs to remember an American football maxim: the low man always wins.
There are also instances where Goga doesn’t engage enough physically. Not only would that disappoint Dennis Reynolds, but it’s a letdown for his teammates as well.
This lack of consistency in technique and effort is a big reason why his defensive rebounding numbers are so middle of the road. A 43rd-percentile rebounding figure is not going to work for a man of his physical stature.
But when he DOES choose to impose himself, the results are quite good.
Applying the technical aspects in conjunction with his size is where it gets good. You can see in the above clips how he gets low to create leverage. Bitadze also shows the awareness to push his man under the basket when necessary, one of my favorite crafty rebounder plays.
The good thing about Goga’s rebounding is that the shortcomings are fixable. It’s not a question of physical ability or coordination; he needs more consistency and to apply himself. And if he gets there we have a potentially dominant rebounder on our hands.
Growth Areas
If Goga stays where he is at defensively, he’s already great. Perhaps a bit system-specific with his need to be in drop but that is a workable shortcoming with the right personnel. Who knows, maybe there is some agility growth in his future to accommodate a better blend of coverages.
But if he can show more restraint in help, control the physicality to avoid fouls, and clean up the technique/effort as a rebounder? That might just be one of the premiere defensive bigs in the league. It can only go up from here. And when “here” is already a top-10 player in D-EPM the possibilities are tantalizing.
Future Outlook
Orlando has already found a diamond in the rough, one that has played a major factor in their early arrival to the playoff conversation this year. If Wendell Carter Jr. continues to struggle with his health and his play, he will play a huge role in how far this goes in the current season.
For Goga himself, this season positions himself to do quite well in free agency this upcoming offseason. The offensive utility as a roll man and DHO runner with some passing chops fits him in well, and most teams still rely on drop in PNR, so the scheme fits are endless.
The fact that he is already THIS impactful on both ends, especially the defense, speaks to his value. Even marginal improvement as a finisher on the offensive end, or the aforementioned defensive growth areas, makes him an easy starter for any team looking to improve their center play. Goga may never make the jump from “star in his role” to a true star, but he will deliver a lot of value regardless. And hopefully he makes a nice chunk of change along the way for his efforts.
From a near league washout to one of the more impactful centers in the game. I’d call that a success story already.
Tags:
Related Podcasts
No items foundRelated Articles
