Goga Bitadze (C, IND) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: You have to be quick to catch a glimpse of 6'11 Georgian (the country) center Goga Bitadze on the court for the Indiana Pacers, but regardless of how briefly he graces the rotation, the numbers he boasts at the end of the night are anything but insignificant. Bitadze, 21, was the 18th overall selection of the 2019 NBA Draft, yet he saw just 8.7 minutes of action on average over the 54 games of his rookie campaign. This year, Bitadze has also been limited in PT, playing 9.6 minutes on average over 25 games, and in that time producing 4.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while improving his effective field goal rate to 50.6%.

Bitadze's efficiency as a rebounder and shot-blocker is evident. His 14.4% rebounding rate ranks fourth on the team behind Jalen Lecque, Jakarr Sampson (both of whom play very little), and Domantas Sabonis of course; while his 9.6% block rate is bested only by league-leading shot-blocker Myles Turner. Over the last five games, Goga has seen an uptick in usage (13.6 minutes per game) and has capitalized on the opportunity by netting 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest. Bitadze also hit 11 of 22 field goals over the last three games, and while his three-point shooting could kindly be described as a work in progress, he has hit two from deep in six tries since March 22nd while improving his shooting volume on the year (0.2 of 1.1 three-point attempts per game, 17.9%) and maintaining his free throw success at a rock-solid 70.8% on 24 tries.

Sabonis and Turner are one of the top frontcourt duos in the world today, but past those two, there are very few power forwards/centers in reserve for the Pacers (even at the G-League level, Amida Brimah was Fort Wayne's lone center). This means that while Goga Bitadze's 8-16 minutes per game may have little room to grow in 2021, they are definitely safe with most of the Pacers roster being combo wings. If you're in a deep league and in need of a center who can stack up rebounds and (mainly) blocks with a minute bonus in three-point shooting, Bitadze is a viable option who will almost certainly be available.

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