30 NBA Players in 30 Days: Saddiq Bey
For Day 3 of our look ahead to the 2023 NBA season, we turn our heads to the Detroit Pistons, as we break down their 3rd year wing, Saddiq Bey. If I was a Pistons fan, I would be creating a lot of buzz entering training camp this year. With the much anticipated debuts for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, plus the excitement surrounding the growth of Cade Cunningham, Bey can focus on the few skills that will make him a highly productive and efficient player in the NBA. The Pistons could possibly look to compete for a play-in spot, and they certainly have the young talent to do so. Bey’s skillset fits in almost perfectly with the rest of the young core, and the organization has to feel good with the potential of all of them fitting well together.
Bey, standing at 6’7, 215 lbs, is the perfect size for a prototypical NBA wing. His shooting was his best skill coming out of the draft, and even though it has not necessarily translated well as of yet, I think he definitely will have the right guys around him to help him get those numbers up. In his second season, Bey posted 16.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 39.6 FG%, 34.6 FG3%, & 0.9 SPG. The shooting splits are the two stats that obviously stand out the most. A player projecting as a 3&D wing shooting less than 40% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc is a scary sign, but there are definitely ways for those numbers to rise. We’re talking about a guy who shot 46 FG% and 41.8 FG3% in college and had a 51 point performance in March this past season, where he made 10/14 threes. The biggest reason why Bey will be able to shoot better this year is the addition of Jaden Ivey to the team. Ivey will be another guard that can work in tandem with Cade Cunningham as another playmaker for their offense. Looking back at Pistons games last year, it was a lot of Cunningham trying to create for everyone else, and if he was not able to get the ball to Bey in the right spots, Bey would have to create on his own. Asking a wing who is more comfortable shooting off the catch to create offense off the dribble is just a poor way to run an NBA offense. The Pistons finished 29th in FG3%, only beating the Thunder by 0.3%. Having Ivey as a guy who can get into the lane and suck in the defense into the paint will be key, along with the growth of Cunningham as a facilitator. According to NBA.com, 89.1% of Bey’s made threes were assisted, and 47.9% of his points during the season came from behind the arc. He is clearly more suited as a catch-and-shoot type of player, relying on his off-ball movement and teammates to get him open shots. Another year playing with Cunningham, who looks to get the team involved, will certainly help Bey’s situation as well.
The growth of the young core will already help Bey get better shots, and another year of reps under his belt adds confidence to a young shooter. Other than getting his percentages up, I would love to see him be a guy that can guard 3 positions pretty well. He has all of the physical attributes of a great wing defender. He may not be able to guard quicker, smaller players, but he definitely could match up with most 3s and 4s around the league. With the biggest need for any NBA team being a wing that can spread the floor, attack a closeout, and defend multiple positions, Saddiq Bey is in a great situation to be that essential wing for the Pistons this year.
