Detroit Pistons: 3 things Saddiq Bey needs to improve this offseason

Detroit Pistons: 3 things Saddiq Bey needs to improve

#3: Getting to the free-throw line more frequently/drawing more fouls

One of the most important, underlying aspects of scoring today is drawing fouls at a high rate. This season, the top fifteen scorers all averaged over 4.5 free throws a game, with the scoring champion, Joel Embiid, topping out at 11.8 attempts per game at the line.

Last season, Bey averaged a mere 3.1 free-throw attempts per game, and shot 82.7 percent from the stripe. While his shooting percentage from the line was respectable, Bey’s scoring ability, coupled with his playing style, should generate far more trips to the free-throw line in the future.

His best month from the free throw line came in December, where in twelve games, he attempted 4.7 free throws a night, while shooting over 91 percent.

Whether it’s playing out of the post, off the catch, or taking his man off the dribble, Bey is more than capable of drawing fouls through shot fakes, rip-throughs, and attempts at the rim. Lots of these tactics coincide with a craftiness that many of the game’s great scorers possess.

Saddiq’s ability to play out of the triple threat is an easy, effective way to generate more free-throw attempts next season. With an effective face-up game, Bey could likely draw more fouls by employing more shot fakes on defenders, and getting them off their feet.

This season, the Pistons were solid from the charity stripe, ranking 13th in the league in attempts per game.

All in all, Bey’s game is tailor-made for generating plenty of free throws. As his game continues to evolve, trips to the line should become far more frequent, and help him take another leap as one of the game’s best young scorers.