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1 reason why the Orlando Magic re-signed each of their free agents

The Orlando Magic were expected to throw some weight around in free agency. Instead they used it to bring back most of their own free agents. Here is one reason why it made sense for each player.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic spent most of their offseason bringing back their depth and re-signing their own players. It may not have been the most exciting thing to do, but there was a reason the Magic invested in their own.
The Orlando Magic spent most of their offseason bringing back their depth and re-signing their own players. It may not have been the most exciting thing to do, but there was a reason the Magic invested in their own. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
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1 reason why the Orlando Magic re-signed each of their free agents

Goga Bitadze: Interior Defense

Depth can be a powerful thing because it allows teams to be able to play in different ways and adjust to their opponent (not to mention let players take their time returning from injuries). When the team needs something different for a particular matchup, they have a way to change how they play depending on the matchup while not sacrificing key pieces of their identity.

Not to mention, depth allows the team to maintain normal rotations when they face injuries.

Goga Bitadze's best run in the season came when Wendell Carter went out with his hand injury in November. Bitadze's interior defense particularly stood out during that absence that included the team's nine-game win streak in November.

Orlando struggled to balance how to use him once Carter returned and the team was healthy. His standout game after that came in February when he stepped in to help give the Magic an interior presence in their overtime win over the Chicago Bulls.

Bitadze had a career season averaging 5.0 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game in 15.4 minutes per game. Bitadze averaged 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his 33 starts.

Bitadze is a different center than either of the Magic's other center options. While he is more limited offensively than Carter or Wagner, he is the best rim protector of the three. Opponents shot 55.1 percent at the rim against Goga Bitadze, a number that trails only Jonathan Isaac among rotation players.

Bitadze is an excellent shot blocker and rim protector. That was something the Magic did not really find in any of their other centers. And with how thin this year's center free agency market ended up being, retaining a player with this skill was essential to the Magic.

What they will have to figure out is how to integrate him into the lineup as more than just an injury replacement.

If there was a criticism of how Jamahl Mosley managed the season it was that he did not ever give spot minutes to a player like Bitadze he might need in the playoffs. Bitadze was not someone he ultimately could trust in the playoffs because he had played more than 10 minutes in just three games after the All-Star Break.

Bringing Bitadze back gives the team a reliable third center they know gives them an element they do not have anywhere else.

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