Indiana Pacers: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2019-20

Goga Bitadze

The Indiana Pacers are paper-thin for big man depth on the roster.

With coach Nate McMillan talking about starting a twin-towers lineup with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis on the floor at the same time, that means the rookie from the Georgia that was always on the Beatles’ mind in “Back in the USSR” has a chance to get big minutes, especially if Turner or Sabonis miss time with injury.

Goga Bitadze fell in the draft from a potential late lottery pick because nobody’s quite sure of his ceiling. If he follows the model of the athletic Eastern European big man the way he did for scouts watching him play overseas, his ceiling might be Nikola Jokic.

But if he’s just another big man prospect who’s all size and no game, his countryman Nikoloz Tskitishvili, picked fifth by the Denver Nuggets in 2002 and one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history with his 2.9 points per game and minus-1.6 career Win Shares, could be his NBA comp.

Considering that McMillan took Sabonis from an absolutely dreadful rookie season in 2016-17 for the Thunder to a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate, the future bodes well for Bitazde.

Sabonis shot under 40 percent from the field and posted a horrendous minus-1.2 Value Over Replacement Player as a rookie in Oklahoma City. He’s now a key piece on a playoff team.

Throw in how McMillan has guided Turner’s career and that all augurs well for the Pacers getting the very best out of their new big man.

If Bitadze is all he’s cracked up to be, we could see him challenge for Rookie of the Year.