Goga Bitadze ruled out for summer league
Goga Bitadze ruled out for summer league
As expected, he will not rejoin the Pacers in Las Vegas after tending to a personal matter.
LAS VEGAS — Pacers center Goga Bitadze will not join the team in Las Vegas for summer league, general manager Chad Buchanan told Fieldhouse Files on Thursday.
Bitadze, 22, is away from the team due to personal matter. Before departing, he sat out of the first two camp practices due to a sore back.
He had looked forward to playing, to being around the new coaching staff and getting consistent minutes. And even more so after summer league was canceled last year due to the pandemic and in 2019, after being drafted 18th overall, delays in obtaining his work visa kept him away.
“It’s not worth it to fly him out here, rush him back and throw him into a game,” Buchanan said. “He’s had a tough little stretch.”
In his absence, first-round pick Isaiah Jackson and two-way center Amida Brimah are sharing time in the frontcourt. Bennie Boatwright suffered right knee injury in the team’s first game on Monday and has not played since.
The Summer Pacers are 1-2 after a 97-64 blowout win over the Trail Blazers Thursday afternoon. They have two more games remaining.
