The Detroit Pistons have several promising rookies, but none have been as consistently good as Saddiq Bey.
Bey valued onto the Kia Rookie Ladder last week and has managed to hold onto his spot with consistently solid play for the Detroit Pistons.
Bey debuted at the sixth spot on the Rookie Ladder, with all five of the guys ahead of him frontrunners for Rookie of the Year.
Bey isn’t going to win the award but he has put the league on notice with his 3-point shooting and versatile defense. His 40 percent 3-point shooting ranks him 5th among all rookies, which is a bit misleading because Bey takes more attempts than all of the players ahead of him in the rankings.
He’s also played well defensively, using his size and instincts to defend multiple positions. While other Pistons’ rookies have been up and down this season, Bey has been a steady hand off the bench and now in the starting lineup, which is how he kept his spot.
Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey has been consistently good
Bey has now scored in double-digits in eight straight games, raising his scoring average to 9.5 for the season while grabbing 3.9 boards, numbers that place him in the top-ten in both categories for rookies. He also won me all three of my bets vs. the Pelicans, so thanks, Saddiq!
Over the last two weeks, Bey has averaged 11.7 points and a whopping 6.3 rebounds, so if he keeps this up, he will not only hold his spot on the Rookie Ladder but he will start to climb it.
Bey has some stiff competition as all of the rookies ahead of him have also played well lately, but it is very possible that he’ll jump into the top five at some point this season.
If Bey finishes in the top-five of Rookie of the Year voting, the Detroit Pistons will have the steal of the draft, as he was taken 19th overall.
There are a lot of teams that wish they had taken Bey now, and he would undoubtedly go higher if the draft were done with the benefit of hindsight.
The Detroit Pistons have a real one in Saddiq Bey, who keeps brining his lunchpail and going to work every night, which fans in the Motor City love.