Detroit Pistons: This player is poised for a breakout season

The Detroit Pistons have gotten a lot of attention this offseason, mostly because of Cade Cunningham, who was the number one pick in the draft.

We’ve debated Killian Hayes, and how he fits with Cunningham, who should start and which Pistons will get big minutes this season.

Lost in all of the discussion is Saddiq Bey, who is heading into his second season and is poised to make it a big one.

Of all the Pistons’ young players, I believe Bey is most ready to take the next step as a player for several reasons.

Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey is putting in the work

One thing Coach Casey praised about players from Villanova is how they come into the NBA ready to play.

Saddiq Bey was no exception, as he came into the league as a rookie with a veteran’s physique and understanding of the game, which led to him breaking several rookie 3-point records and earning a slot on the first team All-Rookie squad.

Bey is obsessed with physical fitness and I believe he will enter next season even stronger and ready to take on tough defensive assignments from shooting guards to power forwards.

Bey also played with the Olympic Select team, so spent a good chunk of his offseason practicing with and learning from the best players in the world. Here is what Bey had to say about that experience in a recent interview:

"“I’m a pretty quiet guy. So I think most of my experience was playing against them like the first scrimmage. When scrimmaged them, it was just a big moment for me, you know being able to go against those guys, being able to showcase what I could do and just learn, like you said, just some little things I learned from different players, hearing what their workout regimen is, what do they do to help them and so a lot of those individual conversations you know, really are gonna help me for the future.”"

Bey soaked up knowledge from veteran Olympic players and undoubtedly got better trying to defend them in practice.

We saw the results already in Summer League, where Bey looked more comfortable and like he had added some nuance to his offensive game.

I think Bey is going to score closer to 18 points per game next season, evolve into the Detroit Pistons’ 2nd or 3rd option on offense and be a lockdown defender.

People are sleeping on Bey right now, but the experience he gained this summer coupled with his desire to be great have him on the verge of a big sophomore season.