Saddiq Bey is entering his second season with the Detroit Pistons and he hopes to build off his first team All-Rookie first year.
All of the talk has revolved around Cade Cunningham this offseason, but Bey is a player who is primed to have a breakout season for a number of reasons.
One of them is Cade Cunningham, who will help get Bey better looks and open up some space for his 3-point shooting.
Another is that Bey spent the summer playing with the Olympic Select team, so he was practicing and playing against the best players in the world, which should help his confidence and add some nuance to his game.
I think people are sleeping on Bey right now and that he is going to have a big year two on both ends of the floor.
Detroit Pistons: Why Saddiq Bey is going to blow up
Bey was Detroit’s Iron Man last season, finishing first in total minutes played for the team, a trend that will continue in year two.
The Pistons don’t have a ton of shooting, so Bey is going to be out there with a lot of different groups and should get plenty of chances.
One of he or Jerami Grant is going to be on the floor at all times for the Detroit Pistons, so Bey should get more 3-point attempts and will be given the opportunity to defend the other team’s best player a lot of the time.
Bey is going to play even more minutes next season and will hopefully make the most of them, but what would that look like? What might it look like if he doesn’t?
Detroit Pistons: The best-case scenario for Saddiq Bey
Saddiq Bey averaged 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in what was a remarkably consistent rookie season.
Bey didn’t really hit the proverbial “rookie wall” and actually put up some of his best games late in the season when many rookies wear down.
Bey will be even stronger next season and after a full offseason of working with NBA players, coaches and trainers, he is going to once again be an Iron Man for Detroit.
I think the best-case scenario is that Bey adds a few wrinkles to his offensive game, particularly making plays off the dribble and posting up more often.
I also think the addition of Cade Cunningham is going to get Bey better looks, so I expect him to shoot closer to 40 percent next season from the 3-point line.
His improved strength will allow him to defend bigger players, so the Pistons can go small at times, which should get Bey even more open shots.
I think the best-case scenario is that Bey once again leads the team in minutes, but scores 15-18 points per game and pulls down closer to 6-7 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
He’ll be a plus defender who takes on the challenge of guarding the other team’s best guy, and he’ll spend much more of the season defending power forwards.
Detroit Pistons: Worst-Case scenario for Saddiq Bey
It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where Saddiq Bey gets worse, especially when you consider he doesn’t have a history of injuries that might set him back.
I think the worst-case scenario for Saddiq Bey is the status quo, that he puts up another season like last year and doesn’t really add anything to his game.
Right now, Bey is fairly one-dimensional offensively and really projects as a 3-and-D guy who doesn’t do much else. Even if that is “all” he’ll be, Bey will still be a very valuable role player for the Pistons.
But after his All-Rookie campaign where he occasionally showed signs of being much more, it would be disappointing if Bey didn’t show some amount of growth in year two.
Bey is already 22-years-old, so it’s possible he won’t evolve into much more than he already is, but I think he has the skill and work ethic to add to his game and improve into more of a Jimmy Butler type player who can score from all over.
So the worst-case scenario is that Saddiq Bey averages around the same points and rebounds and doesn’t really add any nuance to his offensive game.
The table is set for Saddiq Bey to have a huge season in year two, and I think all signs point more towards him reaching his best-case scenario than his worst.