Boston Celtics: 3 players Cs should have drafted over Romeo Langford

Player Cs should have drafted over Langford No. 2) Goga Bitadze

Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft, the Houdini was very high on the idea of the Boston Celtics taking Goga Bitadze at 14th overall. In a pre-draft article, we discussed in depth why it made sense for the franchise to consider drafting the Georgia-born big man:

"Bitadze (19) spent the 2018-19 basketball season overseas, where his level of play won him multiple MVP awards along with the EuroLeague Rising Star award. In 24.2 minutes-per-game the 6-11 center put up impressive averages of 12.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 2.3 BPG while shooting 55% from the field and 31% from deep. With stellar footwork, an improving long-range game and a knack for swatting shots, Bitadze would be a welcomed presence for a Boston squad who looks to be in the market for a replacement at the center position."

After they opted to take Romeo Langford instead of the EuroLeague star — who fell to the Indiana Pacers four spots later at 18 –, we even found ourselves penning an article entitled “Should the Boston Celtics have drafted Goga Bitadze at No. 14?”

In short: I really wanted Bitadze in green and white threads.

The Boston Celtics had a plethora of talent at the wing already heading into 2019-20 — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, etc. — but had an unbelievable amount of concerns at their center slot.

Though Daniel Theis wound up proving his worth in his first season as a starter, the rotation at the five could still use for some fine-tuning, and Bitadze could have been a promising prospect to have moving forward.

Though his per game stats of 3.2 points and two rebounds on 47 percent shooting from the field in 8.7 minutes are not eye-popping numbers, when bestowed ample playing time throughout his rookie campaign the center only managed to produce handsomely.

In the two games that Bitadze played 20-29 minutes, he put up solid averages of 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and two blocks per game on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.

In the two games in which he started for Indiana this season, the 21-year-old posted impressive averages of 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, four assists, and a whopping four blocks per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 33 percent shooting from deep, and a box plus-minus rating of +17.5.

Though it’s a relatively small sample size, his skill set is Nikola Jokic-esque and the promise could prove to benefit the Cs at a position in which they could certainly bolster.