Indiana Pacers off-season wrap-up: A deeper look at the 6 new additions

Goga Bitadze

The Pacers were thin at every position except center going into the draft. They had two talented bigs in Turner and Sabonis, so the expectation was that they’d take a wing or guard with the 18th pick. Pacer fans were left scratching their heads when at 18, they picked a 7 foot center out of Georgia (the country, not the state).

This initial confusion started to go away once it was revealed that the Pacers would be starting Myles and Domas together, but Kevin Pritchard was so excited about getting Goga that fans couldn’t help but feel better. He was the most talented player on the board at 18 (many thought he could go as high as top 10) and Pritchard was adamant that the Pacers simply couldn’t pass on a kid like that.

Goga has spent the past couple years playing professionally in Europe (against grown men instead of college kids) and put up great numbers in the games he played. He can block shots at an elite level, has a nice selection of post moves, and can stretch the floor as a 3-point shooter, similar to Myles Turner.

He is projected to be the team’s backup center, and while he’ll need some time to adjust to the NBA pace and skill, there’s a lot of confidence around the organization that he could blossom into a solid role player.