Bitadze continued to see limited run as a depth option at center for the Pacers, who often just use Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis at the position. Bitadze averaged 5.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 12.8 minutes. The standout aspect of Bitadze's game at the moment is his shot-blocking, as he's registered 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes for his career. He also has upside as a three-point shooter but is just 28-for-121 (23.1%) for his career. The 22-year-old doesn't have much potential for this season, so he can be ignored on draft day. He's at least an intriguing flier in deep dynasty formats if he can land in a better situation. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $5.77 million contract with the Pacers in July of 2019. Pacers exercised $3.1 million team option for 2021-22 in December of 2020. Pacers exercised $4.77 million team option for 2022-23 in October of 2021.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Goga Bitadze was born in 1999 in the small town of Sagarejo in Kakheti, Georgia. Sagarejo is home to less than 11,000 people and is on the eastern side of Georgia. Bitadze's father was a basketball player whose career was cut short by injury. Bitadze started competing in professional leagues when he was 16 years old, playing for teams in Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro. Bitadze played for Georgia at the junior level during FIBA tournaments in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Bitadze joined the Georgian national basketball team at EuroBasketball 2017 but couldn't play due to a calf injury. Later in 2017, at the FIBA World Cup qualifier games, Bitadze made his national team debut. The 6-foot-11 big man's name is pronounced GO-gah bih-TAH-zay. Goga Bitadze's pre NBA career took him all over the Balkan states of Europe. He split the 2018-19 season between Mega Bemax and Buducnost teams of the Serbian, Adriatic and EuroLeague leagues. In 13 EuroLeague games, four of them starts, Bitadze posted 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, shooting almost 55% from the floor. The year before, he played for Mega Bemax's top team and their U-19 squad. Over 22 contests for Mega Bemax in the Adriatic League, Bitadze averaged 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds over 23 minutes per contest. In 2016-17, Bitadze split time between Smederevo of the Serbian league and the Mega Bemax U-18 team, which played in the Adidas NGT.
ANALYSIS As expected, Bitadze will miss his third straight game to conclude the regular season. He'll finish his third year in the NBA with averages of 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Goga Bitadze was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
The 18th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Bitadze appeared in 54 games for the Pacers, averaging 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.7 minutes. The rookie drew two starts, as well, averaging 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 3.5 assists across 25.5 minutes in those contests. Heading into 2020-21, Bitadze should continue occupying a backup role, though Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are still expected to play the vast majority of center minutes. As a result, unless one of those two suffers a significant injury, Bitadze is unlikely to be fantasy-relevant. He's still an intriguing dynasty option, but even in deeper redraft leagues, there are plenty of players with higher upside for the upcoming season.
Out of the country of Georgia, Bitadze was drafted 18th overall by the Pacers. He boasts the size (7-feet, 258 pounds) and skillset of a modern NBA center with the ability to score inside and out. Bitadze also has shown the ability to be a strong interior defender and shot-blocker, but lacks the verticality of some big men in the league. He's just 20 years old, but like many international prospects, has been a professional basketball player for a long time. Bitadze went pro in 2015-16, and he played 51 games and made 29 starts between two separate teams last season, averaging 13.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 assists in 23.4 minutes. His shooting splits were impressive, as the big man shot 57.1 percent from the field, 67.9 percent from the charity stripe, and went 36-of-90 (40.0 percent) from distance. Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are ahead of the rookie in the rotation, but it appears Bitadze will have the first crack at the backup center role. While it's unlikely he'll hold standard league fantasy relevance, he makes for an intriguing deep league or dynasty option as a young big who can block shots and hit threes.