After an impressive rookie season that ended in a first-team All-Rookie selection, Saddiq Bey took another step in his second year for the Detroit Pistons, posting 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while starting all 82 games.
In just two years, Bey has become an important piece of the Pistons’ future, and an ideal running mate to their franchise point guard, Cade Cunningham.
Here’s a list of three things Bey can improve on for next season, and how they’ll benefit both him and the Pistons moving forward.
Detroit Pistons: 3 things Saddiq Bey needs to improve
#1: Paint finishing in the non-restricted area
In his short time in the NBA, Bey has struggled to convert within this odd spot in the paint. In his rookie year, Bey shot 34.3 percent from the non-restricted paint area, on 70 attempts.
In his second year, Bey shot more than twice as many shots from this area, yet only converted on 47 out of 148 shots, for an average of 31.8 percent. While Bey’s drastic increase in shot attempts from this spot show an obvious ability to get into the paint, finishing within this range has been a struggle. One possible alternative could be adding a floater to occasionally use, or even attempting more bank shots on drives from the left or right.
These shots, while not fully equipped in Bey’s arsenal (he attempted only nine bank shots last season and seventeen floaters last season), could alleviate his shooting woes in a spot that he often gets to, and add a few additional points to his per game average.
Another suitable option could be utilizing these paint touches to create for others, or finding dump-off routes to big men located around the rim.
In today’s era, paint touches and three-point shooting are necessities to a good offense.
By converting more in this spot on the floor, or utilizing this space to create for others when defenses converge, Bey could unlock another level for his ever-expanding game, and allow the Detroit Pistons to capitalize more often in a spot that he utilizes so frequently.
Detroit Pistons: 3 things Saddiq Bey needs to improve
#2: Playmaking for others
After two seasons, Saddiq’s role as a scorer has been solidified. The former Villanova Wildcat continued to pose problems for defenses in his sophomore season in the NBA.
Now in year three, with defenses more likely to shift their attention towards containing him, Bey will have a legitimate chance to improve his playmaking skills, and should find consistent opportunities to create shots for others.
While he likely won’t ever be a top-level playmaker for his position, Bey finding an ability to leverage his scoring prowess in the playmaking department would be a massive step towards becoming a complete player on the offensive end.
After seeing increases in his assist percentage (13.8), assists per game (2.8), and assist to turnover ratio (2.43), there’s obvious room for improvement, and also reason to believe that Bey will continue to hone this aspect of his game.
For the Detroit Pistons, any additional assists or improvements in the passing margin would help. Last year, Detroit ranked 24th in the NBA in assists per game, at 23.5. Cade Cunningham was the only player in the Pistons’ rotation to average over five assists a game.
Next season, Bey will almost certainly command more attention from opposing defenses, and will have the opportunities to make teams pay for overplaying him, sending double teams, or overloading sides. If Bey takes another leap in his passing the way he did in year two, it’s safe to say he could average around four assists per game, which would greatly help an offense in need of more ball movement and shot opportunities.
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.