Los Angeles Lakers: Three centers to know for the 2019 NBA Draft
By Jason Reed
2. Goga Bitadze, Georgia
No, Goga Bitadze is not a Georgia Bulldog. He is from the country Georgia and has something that Hayes, and the other potential rookies, do not have: professional experience. Although he is just 19 years old, Bitadze has four years of professional experience throughout Europe.
That certainly is valuable and it is safe to say that Luka Doncic helped continue to cure the stigma around international draft picks. That is legitimate professional basketball and Bitadze has four seasons of experience.
Bitadze is projected to go lower in the draft order than Hayes but it would not be all that surprising to see him selected higher if the Laker fall in love with his experience and his skill set.
In terms of what he brings to the table, Bitadze is a scorer but is different from Hayes. Where Hayes is a great scorer around the rim, Bitadze can stretch the floor and is more in line with the current status of basketball.
He would give the Lakers someone that could hold his own down low while also being able to stretch the floor. He is not all that great defensively in isolations and rotations but he does have a particular shot-blocking presence near the rim.
Just because of the nature of these picks, the fanbase likely would not react all that kindly to this selection. That is why we are here to get you familiar with Bitadze now.