No. 2 – Goga Bitadze from the Republic of Georgia (6-11 250)
Season Stats : 54-64 shooting splits for 13.4 pts, 7.3 rebs, 2.3 blks and 3.5 fls in 24 mins
Goga has a big body with the brain to use it but he also has the smarts to know the game has changed and he has stretch potential.
In the last three seasons, he’s made 34 treys on 33% accuracy. He’s only 18-years-old and produces in a very competitive Adriatic League, even though he’s considerably younger than most of his competition.
Right now he’s an active finisher, decent low post scorer, good rebounder, decent defender, and good shot blocker, all with a hard motor and good size and strength at such a young age.
However, he’s foul prone, only an average athlete, and struggles against more athletic players. His big question mark is whether he is athletic enough for the NBA? At this point the answer is no, but that doesn’t mean in the future that won’t change to yes.
He has a 7’2″ wingspan and his body is still filling out. He’s a skilled center that can score in a variety of ways and has an innate ability to put the ball in the hoop.
Bitadze is very disciplined about boxing out and uses his size and strength on the glass. He’s an extremely smart team defender that stays on his man for the most part but rotates to help challenge without over committing.
Another good sign is that despite being only 18, he communicates well and is rarely out of position. He has a comfortable repertoire of jump hooks, floaters and flip shots with a polished mid range shot while stretching it out to three. He sets good screens and has good timing and reaction as a shot blocker.
Right now he’s a very traditional slow center but if he can get his conditioning and body right, he could be a force. Think a player like Roy Hibbert or Jusuf Nurkic with three point potential.
It’s a risk but at 59 you could do much worse.