The Orlando Magic's offense felt stuck in a rut to start the game. The same stagnation that has buried this team as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner hunted mismatches but could not get the Miami Heat to switch fully into the lineups they wanted slowed the game down and kept them from attacking downhill.
Enter Goga Bitadze at the 6:08 mark of the first quarter. For the first time in two weeks after suffering a concussion when he said he took a headbutt against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of the game.
Bitadze was back after clearing the concussion protocol earlier in the day, coming off the bench after such a long layoff. Immediately the floor seemed to open up. The Magic started finding space and creating some motion.
The Magic outscored the Heat by 12 points to end the first quarter to take a two-point lead. It was not that Bitadze did anything super special in those final six minutes. He was just himself—a big body who could set screens and make decisions from the high post.
Bitadze had 10 points and nine rebounds in the Magic's double-overtime loss in 22:23 of game action. He did not play in overtime or at the end of the game because of his minute restriction returning from the concussion protocol after missing two weeks.
The Magic had a +21 plus/minus with him on the floor. It was not just on the strength of the turnaround in the first quarter. It was good to have Bitadze back in the lineup.
"I thought he did a good job defensively trying to cover pick and rolls," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's loss. "What he does playmaking and playing through him, moving and sharing it. Just some of the simple easy plays with his energy and intensity that he brings to the table."
That was perhaps the biggest note from Monday's game. Bitadze being back in the lineup brought the Magic closer to being fully healthy than they have been. And it looked like it with the energy and motion he brought back to the team.
Bitadze's impact
The Orlando Magic have a +5.3 net rating when Goga Bitadze is on the floor entering Thursday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He is one of three rotation players with a net rating better than +1.0 points per 100 possessions—Franz Wagner and Gary Harris are the other two.
It is hard to measure the lift Bitadze brings because what he does is not quite captured by stats. He is not quite a pick-and-roll rim runner. He is not quite a high post orchestrator. But he does both deftly.
What he does is help organize this team and put players in the right spots. Because he is a solid screener and passer from the high post, he becomes a fulcrum for everyone to play off of. He unlocks so many things about this team.
Playing with the reserve group especially seemed to loosen them up. Everyone looked much more comfortable and confident. This, as much as anything, is a sign of how far the Magic have come as they get healthy from their injuries.
"We've done a great job all year plugging guys in and having everybody ready," Tristan da Silva said after Monday's loss. "I don't feel like it's a huge adjustment. Obviously, it kind of disrupts the rhythm a little bit. You could see that the first game with Paolo [Banchero] back and the first game with Franz [Wagner] back just because they've been out for so long. Last game and this game, I feel we did a really good job playing together and making the right reads and making sure we get those guys the ball as much as possible because they know how to make the right reads for everybody else too."
Da Silva was certainly a beneficiary of this, slotting into a bench role with fewer playmaking responsibilities and less attention on the scouting report. He scored 17 points and made five 3-pointers in the loss to the Heat.
That followed a 16-point effort in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, his first game off the bench since Franz Wagner's injury on Dec. 6, and a five-point, 2-for-3 shooting effort in the win over the Detroit Pistons.
Da Silva fit in perfectly as a supporting player.
The same could be said for Anthony Black. He had 14 points and five steals while pressed into starting duty with Jalen Suggs out of the lineup during Monday's game. He made six of his 11 shots and two of his three 3-pointers in the game.
In fact, in games where both Wagner and Banchero play, Black is shooting 8 for 15 on threes in games where both Banchero and Wagner play. It is a lot easier for him to get his shots when Banchero and Wagner are attracting so much more attention.
That is the case for a lot of players. It is easy to say the issue in Monday's game was that Banchero and Wagner struggled to close the game far more than it was about role players failing to support.
"The fight is always going to be there," Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's loss. "The focus has got to continue to be there. We are going to continue to build that in. It's got to happen in a short period of time. We have to keep building in that direction. It's going to take individual work and work when you are not with the team. All of those pieces are going to take precedence as we continue to move forward."
Unlocking the roster
If the role players like Goga Bitadze, Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva play like they did in Monday's game, the Magic will win plenty of games as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner work themselves back into shape.
Bitadze, for his part, is still working his way back. He expected he would be rusty in his first game back. He was not able to do much while in concussion protocols and he said after Monday's game he got tired.
Da Silva put it plainly, just look at his plus/minus, that tells you all you need to know about what Bitadze means to this team.
Bitadze's minutes and role will surely grow. He will likely rejoin the starting lineup soon. His impact is too great to ignore and he is the team's best center option. But right now, the Magic are focused on bringing everyone together.
And as that happens, the Magic will regain their efficiency and strengths.
"Guys coming back is good," Bitadze said after Monday's loss. "We've got to really appreciate it because we haven't had as many chances to play together. It's going to take some time. But it's great to have everybody back. No matter if it's not looking smooth or something, as long as we're healthy we have guys out there, we've got to be great."
Bitadze helped put the Magic back in their right places and right roles Monday night. Everyone can feel how getting healthy and getting the team's two main stars back has righted the ship. The team is almost back to itself again.