Pistons’ quiet leader Saddiq Bey seeing early positives from offseason regimen

Detroit News
Detroit — In choosing a seat mate for a long flight, Pistons forward Saddiq Bey might not be very many people’s first pick. He’s naturally quiet. He chooses his words carefully and he probably would prefer reading a book than talking at length in a casual conversation.

Bey is measured, seemingly not wanting to say too much — not because he’s afraid to be wrong, but more likely because he’s going to be right. His humility could get in the way of being right too much.

In choosing a player to be the centerpiece of the Pistons’ rebuild, general manager Troy Weaver made a good choice, engineering a trade to select Bey with the 19th pick in the 2020 draft. Bey played under the radar mostly in his rookie season, partly because the Pistons won just 20 games. A bigger part was because he’s not flashy when he makes a big play.

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There’s no chest-thumping, no pointing to the name on his jersey. He’s a lunch-pail guy, who comes in for practice, does his work and doesn’t expect to get any more than the spoils of the effort he put in.

“He’s a quiet leader and leads by example and when he says something, he’s like E.F. Hutton — you listen, because it’s profound and he doesn’t say anything unless it’s important,” coach Dwane Casey said. “He’s one of those guys that more leads by example. In a quiet time, he’ll go have a one-on-one conversation with a player and try to explain something — I’ve seen him do that.

“Speaking up in the crowd, he’s not there yet, but he’s empowered. I want him to, and I’ve told him to speak up — he’s earned that right. I think he averaged, probably more minutes than any other rookie on our team last year, so he’s earned that right to speak up if he has something to say.”

In the NBA, there are more than enough talkers, and not nearly as many doers, who will play the background, not look for the credit, and stand by while others revel in the attention.

That’s Bey.

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He’s working on his game and working on his body. He worked in the offseason to reshape his physique and better prepare himself for the rigorous NBA season. He was on the Select Team that practiced with the Team USA group that played in the Olympics and looked like a chiseled Adonis in Summer League, a physical man among boys.

There’s a story behind that.

“When I came in as a freshman in high school, I was 135, 5-foot-8,” Bey told The Detroit News. “Every year after that, I just was obsessed with being in a weight room. Literally, every year, I try to stick to the same things and continue to work hard in the weight room and on conditioning.

“Every year is a progression; there hasn’t been a year where I stayed the same or (weighed) less, so every year, I just got stronger. It’s whole-body mobility, whole-body strength, how I eat, how many times I stay in the weight room — just everything. I’m obsessed with the weight room and I love lifting.”

Putting in the work

There is purpose behind the lifting too. As a rookie last season, Bey opened some eyes around the league about his game, hitting 38% on 3-pointers and earning a first-team All-Rookie selection. The next area of development was being able to play more in the paint and improving his ball-handling skills so he could go to the rim and absorb contact.

The individual skills and the challenge changes, but the work ethic stays the same.

“I try to just do the same thing that I did coming in as a rookie, trying to get work in the same or even more,” Bey said. “I just look at the game in a different light; I have one year of experience, so I see the game a little different than I did coming in as a rookie.

“The adjustment is trying to stay consistent and to work on every part of my game and just try to elevate it in each aspect, whether it’s off-the-court, how I treat my body and eat, or on the court with my drills, my skill work and just continue to build off it so I can just get better every year.”

Bey showed in Wednesday night’s opener the product of all that he’d worked on, with a variety of post moves showing his strength, but also displaying mobility to get by smaller defenders and finish at the rim.

“Saddiq definitely works on his game; he tries to work on every single piece,” center Isaiah Stewart said. “(Wednesday) it showed. We all know Saddiq can shoot the ball, but he showed he can do post-ups, take advantage of mismatches, put the ball on the ground, step-backs — everything.”

Diversifying his game was a must for Bey, because if he were a one-trick pony, NBA defenses would adjust more quickly and easily, and take away his strongest asset. With more versatility to his game, he’s setting himself up for a big second year, after making an impression as a rookie.

An old soul

The Pistons are looking to build around their young core that includes Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes, all of whom are 20 years old. Of that group, Cunningham is the most outgoing, but Bey, 22, is the most proven with his work on the court.

The Pistons have veterans on the roster, but it’s also on the young players to help the other young players, not just to sit back and leave it all to the older players.

“We have a lot of young guys, so I think even the guys who have two or three years of experience are helping guys who have one or a rookie, so that’s why we’re just growing together as a team,” Bey said. “I try to help whenever I can, especially more one-on-one. It’s only my second year, so, I’m trying to learn as well.

“You kind of help each other grow, because at the end of the day, I’ve got one year of experience and this is their first year, so no matter what that age gap is, it’s still a different light. Whatever questions they have, I’m willing to answer.”

When Cunningham returns from his ankle injury, he should be able to fit seamlessly with the rest of the group, and that voice will be a big addition.

“(Cunningham) is a very good leader for his age and I think we’re all trying to grow together,” Bey said. “You welcome him in and (we like) hearing from other guys and we’re willing to be coached by other players as well.

“We all have the same goal. I think it’s bringing in another piece to the puzzle.”

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