Goga Bitadze understood the assignment for EuroBasket

Goga Bitadze hinted at something different in his offseason preparation as he prepared for EuroBasket with Georgia. Bitadze was comfortably taking 3-pointers in practice.

No one thought he might make it a regular part of his attack for EuroBasket, especially considering his team was on the bubble to advance out of their difficult group.

Bitadze instead needed to focus on his consistency, giving the Magic a solid base defensively but adding discipline to his rotations and more consistency on offense. Bitadze will always be in a position to be a scavenger and scrap up points through lobs and offensive rebounds.

But Bitadze is adding a new dimension to his game. One that could be the expansion of his skills he has been waiting to display for years.

One sequence in the second half of Georgia's 78-62 loss to Italy on Saturday put that on full display.

Goga Bitadze blocked a shot by Italy's Matteo Spagnolo, then followed in transition and calmly buried a step-in three that sent Georgia's bench into hysterics while the game was still close.

It was not an isolated incident. Bitadze scored 22 points (with three blocks) to lead Georgia in scoring during Saturday's game. He was 1 for 4 from three, showing a continued willingness to step to the outside.

This came after he went 2 for 4 from three in Georgia's opening upset win over Spain. Those two threes came in the fourth quarter to help Georgia secure the win.

It is a small development, but the facts are undeniable. In two meaningful games, Bitadze is 3 for 8 from three (the same as Franz Wagner, by the way). Accuracy is less important than comfort in adding this to his game and being a threat from the perimeter.

It is a piece of the puzzle Bitadze has always sought in his career. Now that he has comfort in a role and has thrived in the paint, Bitadze is beginning to expand. It could be a huge development.

Bitadze and the 3-pointer

Ever since the Orlando Magic acquired Goga Bitadze on a late-season pickup in 2023, the Magic have seemingly tried to limit Bitadze to a role on the interior. His job was to man the paint and gobble up rebounds. That was a big piece of his puzzle.

The Magic needed that gruff interior presence at that time.

That role is where Bitadze has thrived. The Magic have not wanted anything more.

Bitadze has been a good pick-and-roll weapon and has admirably filled in as a starter when the team faces injury. He averaged a career-high 7.2 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game.

Bitadze was a traditional center in all the best ways. And the Magic were thrilled to have someone who could give them that bit of toughness and physicality on the inside.

But Bitadze's promise, even from his draft profile, was that he could be a decent passer from the high post and had the potential to be a 3-point shooter.

That promise was one of the things that doomed him with the Indiana Pacers.

They tried to convert him into a more regular three-point shooter. In four seasons with the Pacers, he shot 55 for 215 (25.6 percent). He averaged 5.3 3-point attempts per 100 possessions.

Some of the change in Bitadze had to do with the shift from Nate McMillan to Rick Carlisle as the Pacers began to try to open up their offense. Bitadze averaged 6.7 and 5.4 3-point attempts per 100 possessions in his last two seasons with the Pacers.

The Magic essentially shut that down and had Bitadze go back to basics. He is 7 for 54 (13.0 percent) in 149 games across three seasons in Orlando. That equates to 1.0 3-point attempt per 100 possessions. Last year, Bitadze took 28 3-point attempts, two more than his previous two seasons in Orlando combined.

It is something that has slowly crept into Bitadze's game. But the Magic have not needed that. Nor have they wanted it. Bitadze is most valuable as a lob threat and vertical spacer around the rim. That is something the Magic need more of, too.

The 3-point line always remains a temptation. And it remains a skill Bitadze has tried to grow, if only in the background.

Is this a true development?

Whether Goga Bitadze can bring a consistent 3-point shot to the Orlando Magic is still the ultimate question of this development through two EuroBasket games -- Bitadze sat out Sunday's loss to Greece in a planned rest day with the back-to-back.

Bitadze has shown his willingness to take threes and spot up for three. The majority of his points are still coming around the basket. His most effective moments are still grabbing rebounds and rolling hard to the rim.

If he adds a pop attempt for every three or four rolls, that could be enough to force defenses to defend him. It is all about opening up more space and causing discomfort and decisions from defenses.

Defenses will always be happy to let Bitadze pop to the perimeter. That is an advantage for them. Until he makes enough shots for it to be a threat. And he is showing he might be more effective away from the basket.

It is something to keep an eye on.

To say the least, this is still an early development. Bitadze has mostly taken spot-up threes from the corners in EuroBasket. The transition three after his block was unique for his attempts so far.

But even at a small sample, Bitadze has shown he can work to add this element to his game. It is intriguing to say the least.

Everything comes full circle. Bitadze left the Indiana Pacers because he could not be the shooter they needed or wanted him to be. The Orlando magic reset him to be a gruff, physical interior presence.

Now he gets a chance to grow off that base to add this shooting to his game.