Share Video
Bitadze (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Sunday's 105-87 win over the Heat.
Following Wendell Carter's return from a five-game absence Jan. 15, Bitadze had maintained his spot in the starting five for the ensuing three contests, but he dropped to the bench Sunday with Carter being awarded his first start since Dec. 27. Bitadze ended up moving out of the rotation entirely, as head coach Jamahl Mosely elected to deploy Moritz Wagner as the center on the second unit rather than Bitadze when Carter was off the floor. Though Wagner isn't as skilled of a rim protector as Bitadze, power forward Jonathan Isaac is a rangy shot blocker off the bench, and Wagner provides the Magic with more of a floor-spacing element than Bitadze. With that in mind, it's conceivable that Bitadze continues to find himself outside of the rotation more often than not moving forward, assuming Carter continues to start.
