NBA Comparison: Nenad Krstic/Jusuf Nurkic

Strengths: Good size for his position… Solid wingspan, measured at 7’2”… Has good balance and mobility for his size … Very strong kid … He is not a great athlete, but he is sneaky athletic … When he has time to gather he can finish strong at the rim … He is a high energy player, who loves banging in the post … He is a competitor, who playes with passion and is not afraid of contact … Has improved his body considerably through the years and has lost the baby fat he was carrying … He runs the floor well for a big … He likes to spend time in the post … He has nice footwork in the post and has shown the ability to turn over both shoulders … Has a nice right jump hook as a go-to move … Has improved his midrange shot and he is actually a threat from 15-20 feet … Sets good screens on and off the ball … His good footwork makes him effective in pick n’ roll situations … Has shown the ability to roll hard to the basket after he sets a screen in pick n’ roll situations … He has good hands and can score on the move … Has been used a lot in pick n’ pop situations with good results … Has tried to faceup with mixed results for now … Has Stretch big potential … He is a solid free throw shooter … Very good rebounder, with this being probably his most translatable skill at the next level for now … Rarely forgets to box out on defense and has a good feel for positioning … He is relentless on the offensive glass and puts a lot of pressure on his opponents … Willing passer … A good shot blocker with good timing … Has active hands on defense … Not afraid to band bodies when defending in the post …

Weaknesses: He lacks explosiveness … He is not a huge leaper … His second jump isn’t always as strong as the first … His body has improved, but he must continue bulking up … Lower body needs work … Very emotional player, which isn’t always good, since at time he loses focus for a few plays … He is a little clumsy at times on both ends of the floor … He might not be afraid of contact, but bigger and more experienced opponents can make life difficult for him on defense … He doesn’t always finish strong at the rim, which leads to bad misses around the basket … Has problems finishing through contact and in traffic … He is not a consistent shooter for now … His free throw shooting could improve … He must be able to mix it up when he plays with his back to the basket, maybe add some up and under moves … He doesn’t know how to read double-teams for now … His passing needs work … Turnover prone, mainly due to inexperience … His pick n’ roll defense needs work … He is a willing defender on pick n’ roll situations and has a good low stance, but his average lateral quickness limits him … He “bites” on fakes and commits bad fouls … He really needs to learn the law of verticality and not just go for the block all the time … Can be foul prone due to his clumsiness and emotional playing … At times he loses focus when he defends away of the ball…

Overall: Goga Bitadze has improved through the years … He started as a low post player, but has shown the ability to become a stretch big in the future … If he manages to become a consistent threat from the perimeter and continue working on his body, he will be a really interesting prospect …

Notes: He was a member of the Georgia natonal team and he was actually the youngest player of 2017 Eurobasket … He participated with Mega Bemax in the ANGT in 2017, earning All-tournament honors …

Stefanos Makris 11/28/17