Detroit Pistons: Running hot and cold with Saddiq Bey

Saddiq Bey has had a solid second season for the Detroit Pistons, averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, all up from last season.

He has added more nuance to his offensive game, penetrating off the dribble more, using more post ups and not relying solely on the 3-point shot like he did for most of last season.

He’s expanded his game defensively as well, defending more power forwards this season than last and showing he has the strength to hold his own in the post.

But if you take a closer look at the numbers, you’ll see a guy whose shooting percentages are down across the board, and if you look at the game-by-game production, you’ll see a guy who is as streaky as anyone in the league.

When things are going well, Saddiq looks like one of the top young players in the NBA, but when they aren’t he looks like just another guy, a player who coach Casey once hinted about sending to the G-League.

It’s clear that the thing Saddiq Bey needs to work on for next season is consistency, as he goes off for a game or two, then disappears, only to repeat the cycle.

Saddiq Bey’s streakiness for the Detroit Pistons

Saddiq Bey’s extremes started right away, as he came out strong in the first five games, averaging 17.2 points and nine rebounds.

His next six games he scored 9, 4, 7, 12, 16 and 4 points.

After a nice three-game streak of 16, 28 and 15, Bey backed it up with one of his worst stretches of the season, logging games of 7, 14, 15, 13, 9, 6, 2, 8, 15, 8, 11 and 4 points, a 12-game average of just 9.3 points per game.

He then went on a 9-game streak where he averaged 25 per game, his best stretch of the season, followed by scoring single digits for 3-of-5 games.

Bey will score 31, as he did against Cleveland, only to follow it up with a seven point effort the very next game against New Orleans. Every player has off nights, but Bey tends to string them together, going back and forth between hot and cold.

In the end, it all averages out to a pretty good season for Saddiq Bey, but the hot and cold streaks can be maddening. While it’s great when things are going well, the Detroit Pistons need Bey to be there night after night and not score 30 one night and disappear the next.

Consistency is something that comes with experience and I do think it’s the area in which Saddiq Bey will improve most next season. Hopefully we’ll see a guy who scores 20 points night after night and occasionally goes off for more instead of what we’ve had this season, which is one of the streakiest players in the NBA.