Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
He’s operating off the radar on a bad team, but Saddiq Bey is making NBA rookie history as a 3-point shooter.
In a battle of the teams with the two worst records in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons fell to 19-46 on the season with a loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey had a game-high 26 points, on 10-for-17 from the floor and 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
Bey, the 19th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Villanova, has had a solid rookie season (11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game; 38.3 percent from beyond the arc). Over his last 12 games, he’s averaging 15.8 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from 3-point range. He has scored 20 or more points nine times overall this season, including back-to-back games and five times in his last 15 contests. Monday night was his 11th game this season with at least five made 3-pointers.
Saddiq Bey has made some rookie history as a 3-point marksman
Last Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets, Bey made the record for most games with 5 or more 3-pointers by a rookie his own alone with a 5-for-12 performance from beyond the arc. He widened the gap over Steph Curry and Allen Iverson with his 11th such game on Monday night. Over his last three games, he’s 14-for-30 from 3-point range (46.7 percent). He also has five straight games with at least seven rebounds.
In an otherwise forgettable rebuilding season for the Pistons, with Monday night’s loss helping a quest to finish with the worse record in the East and secure a particularly good lottery odds, Bey has emerged as a bright spot.
With more opportunity coming his way, Bey is set to finish the season on a nice run and further cement the rookie 3-point shooting mark he has set. And he’s doing it in a season that’s 10 games shorter than a normal season.