Goga Bitadze can be downright dominant at times.
He is not a dump-the-ball-to-the-post big or a star in the making. His role is to fill in gaps, crash the glass and defend. He is there to get all the energy and hustle points that teams need to find success.
Bitadze knows what he is good at and delivers that.
It is why there are plenty of Orlando Magic fans -- not to mention national observers -- eager to see Bitadze take on a bigger role. Everyone can see the potential in him. He showed it every time he got meaningful playing time.
Bitadze has been strong too in EuroBasket, playing for his national team in Georgia. He has displayed an improved confidence from deep. He has filled in gaps for Georgia while being a key scorer.
There are still reminders of why he has struggled for consistent playing time. The goal for him in this tournament was to find consistency on both ends.
For Bitadze, the key to more playing time and a bigger role is completely within his hands. But it is on him to play with the focus and intensity to get there.
That was part of what was missing as Georgia fell to Bosnia & Herzegovina 84-76 in their group play finale. As of writing, they need a Greece win over Spain to secure a spot in the knockout round. Georgia's opening win over Spain gives them a little life.
But this was a big loss. A loss where Georgia fell behind early and struggled climb back, trailing by as much as 15 in the third quarter before clawing their way back to tie the game.
Georgia could not get all the way back. After tying the game at 69, Georgia gave up a foul and then got called for a technical foul from the bench. That gave Bosnia the lead back and they would not look back to the win.
That is not on Bitadze. But there were moments when he lost his focus and it was clear to see his energy was not completely in the right space. And in what was essentially a knockout game, little slips get magnified. Bitadze did not dominate the paint and ensure his team scored the win.
Bitadze is still fighting for that key aspect of his growth and development.
Bitadze is seeking consistency
It is less about a consistency in production. It is more consistency in impact and imposing himself on the game. It is more about Goga Bitadze keeping his focus and fighting through adversity to maintain his presence in the game.
That remains the theme for Bitadze. He is still seeking consistency.
Throughout EuroBasket, he was pretty consistent. In four group play games, he has averaged 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Bitadze still put up a solid game, scoring 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He missed all four of his 3-pointers. And he grabbed only five rebounds, four on the offensive end.
The Orlando Magic know that he can put up numbers when he plays. Before his January concussion, Bitadze averaged 9.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 24.7 minutes per game. It was part of a career season, averaging 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Bitadze had a good season. But by the end of it, he had fallen out of the rotation. He played only 21 total minutes in the Playoffs -- in only Games 2 and 5, at that. That spoke to the bigger problems in consistency that Bitadze has.
It is not merely about the production and stats he can bring to the game. The Magic will take the scoring they can get from Bitadze, but they have others to carry the scoring load.
What Orlando needs from Bitadze is a consistency in effort and focus. The little moments when Bitadze lets a bad call frustrate him into a foul or a late rotation, those are the parts of his game h needs to clean up.
His time with Georgia in EuroBasket has shown hints that he can expand his game. But these small moments still pop up. Bitadze, for as big of a rim protector he can be, can be invisible.
But whether it is because of the way Georgia is using him, leaning on his 3-point shooting to keep the paint clear for scorers like Tornike Shengelia (six points on 2-for-11 shooting) and Alexander Mamukelashvili (20 points), Goga Bitadze has at times looked a bit lost in the shuffle.
Certainly, in Thursday's crucial loss, Georgia was trying to pull Nurkic away from the basket. And Bitadze's presence was not always clearly felt.
Room to grow, a role to gain
This was a big spot for Georgia and Goga Bitadze. This was always going to be a toss-up game. The direct comparison between Goga Bitadze and an established big man like Jusuf Nurkic is a good sign that he can compete. No one doubts Bitadze is a rotation-level player.
Bitadze is certainly not worse. And he looks to have rebounded from his rough close to the season last year. He is still young enough that he has a lot of room to grow.
Adding the 3-point shot or any jumper will do a lot to expand his game and his potential for the team. It has helped Georgia get on the doorstep of advancing.
But so much of Bitadze's growth is about maturity and bringing a consistency to every game. It is about bringing the same impact to every game.
That is still what has eluded Bitadze in his career. When he has stability, he can produce. But he has not been able to hold down his spot.
Goga Bitadze will start the year as the team's backup center with Moe Wagner recovering from his torn ACL. Bitadze will get at least the first quarter of the season to show he can contribute to a winning team.
What Orlando cannot have is his emotions get the best of him or frustration take him out of plays. To win at the levels the Magic want to win takes a certain level of discipline. And that is what Bitadze is fighting.
Very clearly, Bitadze can make that impact. It is just about doing it every game and in big moments.
Georgia is hoping it has one more big moment remaining.