Hypothetical Atlanta Hawks 2019 Draft Redo Minus Trades
Atl All Day Draft Redo Round 1 Pick 17
B Hoops Scouting Report - Strengths. Goga Bitadze. player. 125. College Hoops TV Highlights. Center. Republic of Georgia. 17.
With pick number 17 in the ATL All Day Redraft, the Atlanta Hawks select Goga Bitadze, center from the Republic of Georgia. He was a fan favorite among Hawks fans throughout the draft process. Chatter about Goga especially increased on Hawks Twitter and other social media outlets, after video surfaced of the big man working out for Atlanta.
Goga Bitadze is a true center who stands 6’11 and weighs 250 pounds. He rebounds the ball well and finishes with authority in the paint. However he also has the outside shooting touch, to spread the floor and stretch defenses.
Goga’s ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim as a drop defender, should allow him to stay on the floor in fourth quarters, despite his inability to switch on quicker guards in the pick and roll. Bitadze is plus passer as well.
So far the redraft is going according to form position wise, with a wing, a combo forward and a true center. However one difference is Sekou Doumbouya replacing De’Andre Hunter, which is a down grade in the short-term. However time will tell if that is ultimately the case long-term.
The other difference is Goga Bitadze as our true center, who should prove to be an upgrade over Bruno Fernando. Goga is a much higher ranked prospect, who set a new record for player efficiency rating by a teenager in the Euroleague.
The previous record was held by a guy who the Hawks recently drafted and traded. This guy shall remain nameless. Getting a long-term prospect at center was important for Atlanta, because Dewayne Dedmon is a free agent and Alex Len only has one year remaining on his deal.
In our most recent mock draft, I selected Goga Bitadze at pick number ten, so getting him at pick 16 is a great value. Not to mention the fact that he ranked number six on our Big Board, giving us three of the six prospects that we feel fits Atlanta best, in our redraft so far. The bonus is, we still have three picks to go!
Mike Schmitz, a draft expert for ESPN gives us a report of the rim protecting skills that Goga Bitadze brings to the table, in the following tweet:
Working through Goga Bitadze's scouting video. His shot blocking instincts are really impressive for a 19-year-old. Great timing and quick off the floor for a guy not widely viewed as a leaper in a traditional sense. Bitadze has the 8th-best BLK% in the ESPN Top-100. pic.twitter.com/HDMjv9NoJd
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) June 4, 2019
FanSided analyzes the selection of Goga with pick 18 by the Indiana Pacers, in the actual NBA draft: