Per usual, the good ol’ Indiana Pacers have been struck down with quite the injury bug, and mixing that with a season that has been riddled with an awful case of mediocrity anyhow, many Pacers fans have begun looking to the light at the end of the tunnel that is the talent-loaded 2021 NBA Draft.
One prospect that could be absolutely devastating for opposing defenses is the 6-foot-8 point guard prospect Josh Giddey, whose playmaking and defense-shattering mind for the game supersedes what is normal in an 18-year-old.
Not only would this truly gifted passer fit on a multitude of teams, but being selected by the talent-depleted Indiana Pacers would be lucrative for not only the entire roster but emerging big man Goga Bitadze.
Why would Josh Giddey extract value out of Goga Bitadze for the Indiana Pacers in particular?
During this year’s NBL season, we saw games of Josh Giddey, and his seven assists a contest, slice through buttery defenses like a hot knife via punishing dishes to his big-men in crime. It didn’t matter the route of the roll man’s dive, the needed velocity, or the ridiculously unrealistic angle for a successful pass, Giddey persistently found ways to reward the big fella for layups.
When now diving into Goga Bitadze’s game, we find a player who is trending to be the perfect pick and roll buddy for a player like Giddey. Goga is a hard and effective screener in space, moves well for a big, has solid hands and touch, and knows how to find positioning around the lane to become open for his dishing guards.
When you also add in his budding three-point jumper, Goga could be the ideal big for a player like Giddey, and Coach Bjorkgren would be salivating imagining Josh Giddey getting advantages created from Goga Bitadze’s deadly screens turning into buckets for either player.
The Goga-Giddey two-man game could develop into something that is quite the headache to stop, as Giddey can either get a layup, feed to the relentless Goga via a lob or bounce pass, or even kick out to Bitadze for his confident three-point shot. Goga also shows signs of being a very capable extra passer, so rotations on the wing wouldn’t be able to consistently shut down their pick and pop actions.
Regardless of the immediate on-court impact by this youthful duo if Giddey was in fact picked, they would find ways to be key cogs in the Indiana Pacers’ future. Skilled players like Josh Giddey and Goga Bitadze are incredibly impactful on playoff and contending teams even as just starters, and it feels like you can never get enough of them.