Former Pacers Center casts heavy shade on Indiana after painful win

The Orlando Magic’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday moved the Magic to 7-6 on the season and third place in the Eastern Conference, but the win was extra sweet for Goga Bitadze because he defeated his former team.

The Pacers drafted Bitadze No. 18 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and spent three and a half seasons with Indiana before he was waived by the team midway through the 2022-23 season. Bitadze was primarily a role player during his time with the Pacers. He had his most productive season with the team in 2021-2022, when he played in 50 games and averaged 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He started 16 games that season, with the most starts coming during his time as a Pacer.

However, Bitadze did not improve on this performance the following season. Through the first half of the 2022-2023 season, Bitadze averaged just 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He averaged less than 10 minutes of action per game and played just 21 games that season before being waived. Four days later, Bitadze signed with the Magic, where he has played ever since.

“I’ve been praying for this day that I would have the opportunity to play with these guys and beat my old team,” Bitadze said, via Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “Beating Indiana always feels great. I tell you, I was praying about this. It comes in God’s timing. Basically three and a half years. It came out, I don’t know how many times.”

Bitadze recorded a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and one assist against the Pacers on Wednesday. Bitadze finished as the team’s second-highest scorer behind Franz Wagner in the game, helping the Magic earn the 94–90 victory over Indiana.

The Magic and Pacers have faced each other twice this season. The Magic previously defeated the Pacers on August 28, but Bitadze did not play in that game. The second time the two teams played this season, the Pacers defeated the Magic as Bitadze scored 10 points with 12 rebounds and two assists.

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