Detroit Pistons: The battle for backup small forward
I think Saddiq Bey is a lock to be the starting small forward after his impressive rookie season in which he established himself as the Pistons’ best 3-point shooter.
He is also versatile defensively, so he can work in just about any group, so I think Bey will lead the Pistons in total minutes again this season.
The question is who is going to back him up? The Pistons have a couple of combo guard/small forwards in Josh Jackson and Hamidou Diallo who both offer similar skills.
Since both of them are good defenders who can’t shoot, the Pistons may end up choosing one of them and the other could be traded before the deadline.
Jackson would be the most likely to go, as he is on an expiring deal and the Pistons just re-signed Diallo. But if Jackson improves his shot and plays well, the Pistons might try to work both of them into the rotation since they can both play a couple of spots.
This will be a training camp and preseason battle to watch, as both of these guys are fighting for minutes however they can get them.