The Detroit Pistons select Saddiq Bey in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Detroit Pistons stayed active on the trade market tonight, involving themselves in a three team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Luke Kennard was sent to the Clippers and in exchange, Detroit received the 19th pick in the draft. With this, they selected Saddiq Bey out of Villanova. Largely hailed as one of the purest shooters in the entire class, the Pistons hit a home run here.
He quickly emerged as one of the most efficient scorers in the country last season, shooting an absurd 45 percent from three-point range. With this trade, the Pistons lose an emerging perimeter threat with a new one to start from scratch.
It’s become increasingly clear that Troy Weaver wants a clean slate with his own players. Bey was an elite catch and shooter talent in college and it’s highly expected to translate at the next level. He has a quick trigger and shows no tentativeness to shoot. He is more than willing to let it fly.
Bey has grown to show he’s willing to use his 6’8″ frame to take advantages of mismatches and drive them to the basket. His offensive upside is more or less what any team needs to thrive.
He’s a play maker for himself, but not so much for others. He’s also incredibly smart with the ball in his hands, possessing just a 1.61 assist/turnover ratio last season.
Ultimately, this pick proved that Weaver isn’t messing around. He’s made an absolutely exceptional statement in his first draft with Detroit. Everything that could have gone right has, and then some.