This move is key to Saddiq Bey’s development for the Pistons

Saddiq Bey has undoubtedly expanded his offensive game this season for the Detroit Pistons.

But this development has come at a cost, as Bey’s shooting numbers have gone down as he tries to add more weapons to his offensive bag. He’s played at an All-Star level at times, but also struggled with consistency, as most of the young Pistons have.

This was the perfect season to experiment, as wins weren’t the most important thing for the Detroit Pistons in 2021-22, while player development of the core took front and center stage.

Bey primarily shot 3-pointers last season, with 66 percent of his shots coming from beyond the arc. That number has gone down to just over 50 percent this season as Bey adds more nuance to his game.

He has shown the ability to play bully ball, as he did in the Rising Stars games, abusing Josh Giddey  on his way to scoring effortlessly at the rim.

Bey has the strength to push smaller defenders around, which has opened up a shot that is nearly impossible to stop when he’s hitting it.

Saddiq Bey needs to perfect the step back mid-range shot for the Pistons

I recently compared Bey to Jimmy Butler, which may be a stretch, but I do think Bey can get to his level offensively.

The biggest difference is that Butler has a much larger array of shots from close to mid-range, a weapon that Bey is developing but hasn’t yet mastered. He does have a step-back mid-range move that he uses from time to time, and because defenders have to worry about his power moves, it can be effective, as you will see here at around the 30 second mark.

You can see how Bey uses his power moves to open up this step back, which is pretty tough to defend given his 6-foot-8 height.

The problem is that Bey isn’t hitting a high percentage of them. Most of these shots come from between 5-14 feet and Bey is only shooting 26 percent from that range.

He’s actually much better from 15-19 feet, where he hits 40 percent of his shots. But that step back move is one he needs to continue to work on as he gets closer to the hoop, as it can be a go-to move if he can hit it at a higher percentage.

Saddiq Bey has added more to his game and raised his ceiling in the process, but once he gets that step back down, he will be an offensive weapon for the Detroit Pistons.