7 players Saddiq Bey should have replaced in ESPN’s top-100

ESPN recently released their top-100 player rankings and Saddiq Bey of the Detroit Pistons was nowhere to be found.

This wasn’t a complete shock, as the list seemed to reward team success in some cases, and the Pistons haven’t had much of that since Bey joined the league.

Still, Cade Cunningham was surprisingly high considering Detroit was bad last season and he was inefficient for a good part of it.

Bey is not a flashy player, but he had a solid second season and looks like a guy who could be a fringe All-Star in the next few years if he keeps improving. He has a good chance to make ESPN’s top-100 after next season, but when you see some of the other names on this list, it’s pretty clear he should have made it this year.

Here are seven players that Saddiq Bey should have replaced in the top-100 according to my extremely biased opinion. I am not even going to include the two rookies (Keegan Murray and Paolo Banchero) even though they have yet to play a game, as this is based on expectations and hype and it’s hard to argue.

Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey snubbed on ESPN’s top-100

Saddiq Bey has a solid argument against any of these seven players. Not only is he younger than every guy listed here, but put up better stats in many categories.

• #100- Bogdan Bogdanovic: Bey put up more points and rebounds than Bogdanovic last season and is a better and more versatile defender. The only argument Bogdan has is that his team was better and he shot a higher percentage and not even by that much.
• #98- Mitchell Robinson: I have no idea how he made this list at all. Bey had more points and assists and Robinson does little other than stand under the hoop and dunk. He’s a better shot blocker but can only defend one position.
• #94- Brandon Clarke: Another guy rewarded for team success, as Bey had more points, rebounds and assists than Clarke last season, who averaged just 10 points per game as a bench player. He’s another head scratcher.
• #90- Buddy Hield: A one-dimensional player who wasn’t even that good at the one thing he’s supposed to be good at. Hield shot just 36 percent from 3-point range, barely higher than Bey, who averaged more points, rebounds and assists.
• #89- Mike Conley: Bey averaged more points and rebounds than the 34-year-old veteran, though Conley shot the ball much better and was on a good team.
• #83- Aaron Gordon: Huh? Bey had more points and assists and the same number of rebounds as a guy who played entirely at power forward.
• #80- Caris LeVert: Probably the biggest question mark on the entire list. LeVert scored more points than Bey last season but played just 58 games, which was actually an Iron Man effort for him. This is guy who has played just one full season (if you count 71 games as a full season) in his entire career, usually taking two years to play the same number of games as Bey, who started all 82 games for the Detroit Pistons last season.

Bey is up for a contract extension and has plenty to gain from a huge third year. He’s been quietly going about his business this offseason and I am sure if you asked him, he’d claim not to have seen this snub. But I guarantee that he did and this will provide a little extra motivation heading into this season.