The Detroit Pistons and Troy Weaver have to be happy about what they’ve seen from Saddiq Bey so far.
Some fans were unhappy when Detroit traded Luke Kennard and several second-round picks for the rights to Bey, a trade the Clippers 100 percent would not do again.
Bey is already better than Kennard and makes significantly less money, so this trade was a big win for the Pistons. It was nice to be on the right side of one of these for once, as Detroit has a history of giving up too early on young players who then go onto be stars in other cities.
Bey has been one the rookie stars from this draft, has toppled several records for 3-point shooting and finds himself atop an elite list of rookie shooters.
If the 2020 draft were done again, Bey would definitely not fall to #19 but where does he rank among his peers?
Is Saddiq Bey a top-five rookie? Let’s take a look.
Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey’s ranking among rookies
If the 2020 NBA Draft were held again today, Saddiq Bey would go much higher. I am trying not to be too biased here, but in my opinion there are only three guys who have outplayed Saddiq Bey this season.
- Anthony Edwards
- LaMelo Ball
- Tyrese Haliburton
That’s it, that’s the list.
This doesn’t mean that Bey would go 4th if the draft were done again, as the Bulls’ Patrick Williams has a very high ceiling, as does James Wiseman, Isaac Okoro and even the Pistons’ own Killian Hayes.
Some of those teams would be loathe to admit they made a mistake and would stick with their picks as is, but if we are talking purely on rankings for how they’ve played this season, Bey has an argument as the 4th-best rookie in this class.
Regardless of where you feel Bey deserves to be on the list of overall rookies, one thing is clear, the Detroit Pistons found a future piece of their core, as Saddiq Bey is very good already and only going to get better.
Troy Weaver hopes to keep his magic touch in this year’s draft, where he’ll have a high lottery pick and three second rounders to work with.
Saddiq Bey and fellow rookie Isaiah Stewart are already two of the most popular Pistons and fans can’t wait to see what they will become over the next few seasons.