Center Goga Bitadze made his Orlando Magic debut last night in Orlando. Fittingly, it came against the Indiana Pacers.
Bitadze, a 23-year old center, spent his first three-and-a-half seasons in the NBA with the Pacers. He was drafted by the franchise in 2019 with the 18th overall pick but struggled to crack a crowded Pacers frontcourt rotation. Indiana waived the young big man at the trade deadline.
"I still think Goga is going to be a nice NBA player," Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said after the waiver. "He is going to get picked up. 100%. He's going to get picked up."
Pritchard was correct, Bitadze was signed by the Magic just a few days later. He joined a young team where he could potentially be in line for more playing time down the stretch of this season.
Prior to last night, the Georgian big man had not yet played for the Magic, just practiced. He had to get acclimated to a new group and a new system for the first time in his career.
"It was great. Guys really took me in with open arms," Bitadze said after his first practice with Orlando per a video posted by the Magic. "I'm really happy, all I can do is just work from here."
On Saturday, the young center got in for his first game action with his new team. Ironically, it was against the Pacers, a team he knows well.
Bitadze checked in for the first time with 6:15 to go in the second quarter. Orlando's starting canter, Wendell Carter Jr, was in foul trouble, so the Magic needed Bitadze out there. In his first 3:08 of action, Bitadze already had six points and three rebounds.
"I thought he was really good," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Bitadze, per The Magic Insider. "I thought his energy was good."
In the end, Bitadze finished with six points, six rebounds, and one assist against his former team. He caught up with his old Pacers teammates after the game.
"On Goga's next stop, he's going to do well. He's a player that's improved," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the Pacers moved on from Bitadze.
Bitadze averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 170 games for the blue and gold. A fresh start with the Orlando Magic will be good for the young big man, and it was fitting that his new opportunity began against his old team.
More must-reads: