The Detroit Pistons have to love what they’ve seen from rookie Saddiq Bey this season.
Not only has the rookie been playing hard-nosed, Detroit-style defense, but he is one of the rookie leaders in 3-point shooting and has already won Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
The Detroit Pistons couldn’t ask for much more out of the 19th pick and the trade they made to get him is looking better all the time, especially as Luke Kennard continues to struggle for the Clippers.
Saddiq Bey has been up and down this season scoring the ball, so he probably doesn’t have much of a chance to win Rookie of the Year, especially since the Detroit Pistons are currently the worst team in the Eastern Conference and hopefully on their way to a top pick in the draft.
But where does Saddiq Bey stand on the Kia Rookie Ladder these days? He’s not at the top yet, but he is climbing.
Detroit Pistons: Where is Saddiq Bey on the Rookie Ladder?
The Kia Rookie Ladder has long been the NBA’s weekly ranking of rookies for the season.
It gives a good idea of where rookies are relative to their peers and who is having the best week.
After spending many weeks off the list, Saddiq Bey has jumped back on after his huge week, now ranking 6th overall.
But how high can he climb? It’s highly unlikely that he will supplant LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards or Tyrese Haliburton, who are all having great seasons and are the frontrunners for Rookie of the Year.
But I could definitely see Bey getting as high as 4th and ending up in the top-five overall in Rookie of the Year voting.
Considering the rest of these guys were all high lottery picks, that is pretty good return for the Detroit Pistons, who finally look like they have some young talent to build around with Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
Saddiq Bey has already endeared himself to fans of the Detroit Pistons with his blue-collar style of play and he is only going to get better as he refines his game even more.