Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey is becoming a problem for NBA

Saddiq Bey was mostly a three-point specialist in his rookie year for the Detroit Pistons, and a good one. But he has expanded his game, as well as his physique, in his second season.

For a player drafted No. 19 overall, Saddiq Bey had an incredible rookie campaign. The Villanova product worked his way into the Pistons starting lineup at small forward. His three-point shooting was so good he broke several rookie records, including some held by Steph Curry.

In the summer, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward was tapped for a spot on the USA Select team, which practices with the the Team USA Olympic team. For a brief time, due to injuries and absences, Bey actually played with Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard on the Olympic team.

Bey, obviously, learned a lot during the off-season, and part of it appears to be conditioning. Seeing him in person, it is  quite obvious Bey had spent serious time in the weight room.

On the left is a picture of Bey from last season, and then from the October 28th game vs. the 76ers:

You can see Bey has put on some muscle, and he is not afraid to use it.

Several times Bey took the 76ers’ Danny Green, a starter on two of the last three NBA championship teams, down low and simply overpowered him for an easy basket.

That never would have happened last season. Heck, last year it was a problem to get Bey to even take any shot besides a three-pointer. He ended up shooting almost twice as many threes (460) as two-point shots (231).

Now, Bey shooting percentage is twice as good (60%) on two-pointers as it has been on threes (30%).

This makes Bey a problem for other NBA teams.

How Saddiq Bey is now a two-way threat for Detroit Pistons

Bey had not gotten his three-point stroke going for the Pistons in the early part of the season. He was 4-for-21 on three-point attempts on the season until the fourth quarter against the 76ers. While his inside game had blossomed the one thing he had done well the year before was a struggle.

But that changed quickly.

With Detroit going down to yet another not-very-close loss, Bey got the hot hand. He made 4 of 5 three-pointers in the fourth to help the Pistons cut a 22-point deficit down to five. No, Detroit did not pull a shocking win (that Joel Embiid guy kind of got in the way) but it certainly gave the team a much-needed confidence boost.

That Detroit could put a scare into last year’s No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, on its home court, bodes well for a schedule with some very winnable games coming up for the Pistons.

And Bey is now a tough cover for any defense.

While the Pistons offense has struggled (rated dead last in NBA), Bey had been a rare bright spot. Even with poor outside shooting, Bey is averaging 17.5 points a game, a major increase from last season’s 12.9 points.

If Bey has now regained his outside shooting prowess, he becomes a major plus for Detroit. His improved inside game will allow him to get more open outside shots. Before, defenses knew where Bey would be, around the three-point line, but that is no longer the case,

With Cade Cunningham expected in the lineup soon, that will only increase Bey’s opportunities to score. Cunningham is known as an expert playmaker, and he will find Bey when he is open. He is also another player that defenses now must keep an eye on.

With each game, Bey seems to add to his offensive repertoire. He can now overwhelm most small forwards that guard him, and, since he is back to being a deadly three-point threat, there is only one thing to conclude:

Saddiq Bey is going to be a problem for other NBA teams.