Goga Bitadze a Saturday standout? Yes indeed

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Sometimes, the option that appears to make the most sense isn’t the one chosen. That’s the best way to sum up how the Orlando Magic accounted for the absence of starting center Wendell Carter Jr. in Saturday’s 120-101 win over the Lakers. With Carter out for at least three weeks with a broken finger on his left hand that will require surgery, it appeared that Moritz Wagner would be the replacement. However, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley decided to maintain the continuity of his bench unit, leaving Wagner in his role while moving Goga Bitadze into the starting lineup. And, for at least one night, the decision worked like a charm.

Both performed well, with Bitadze recording a line of 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and five blocked shots in 26 minutes. For his part, Wagner added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one 3-pointer in 19 minutes. While the latter did nothing to negatively impact his streaming value while the Magic play without Carter, the former placed himself on the map among fantasy managers, especially those in deeper leagues. Wagner heads into Sunday rostered in 26% of Yahoo leagues, while Bitadze’s rostered percentage is way down at four percent.

Orlando playing three games in Week 3 as opposed to four isn’t great, but that shouldn’t be held against Wagner or Bitadze. Both will clearly play rotation minutes, and the Magic play four games apiece in weeks 4 and 5. Let’s take a look at a few more quality pickups from Saturday’s slate, beginning with another Magic player who was thrust into a more prominent role due to injury.

Anthony Black (3%)

With Markelle Fultz (knee) and Gary Harris (groin) sidelined for Saturday’s game, Black made the first start of his NBA career. He was solid, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds,…