NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Narrowing down the picks after lottery, combine

Goga Bitadze is already a load at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds and the big man from Georgia turns 20 in July after withdrawing from the 2018 NBA Draft and returning this year.

As a part-time starter who played on loan with Buducnost in Montenegro before returning to Serbia’s KK Mega Bemax club, Bitadze showed his ability to score from all over the floor this season, averaging 14.2 points in just 23.3 minutes per game in Adriatic League, Serbian KLS and Euroleague play.

He had just 6.3 rebounds to go with 1.9 blocks per game this season, shooting 58.6 percent overall and knocking down an impressive 42.7 percent on 1.7 3-point attempts per game.

With a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Bitadze has good length and is not shy about banging down low (which could make practices with Steven Adams something to see).

But he’s not particularly explosive and does not jump well and he will need to get stronger in the lower body to hold up to the grind of an NBA season. He also needs to mature and get his emotions in check; he can have a tendency to get lost for several plays after something doesn’t go his way.

Defensively, Bitadze is willing, but his footwork needs to improve and he needs to improve his balance to avoid bad fouls.