Detroit Pistons forward Saddiq Bey is refreshed and ready to climb mountains.
In the NBA.
Or out in the real world.
Wherever life takes him.
“Man, it’s crazy,” he said, standing in the Pistons’ practice facility, as the team prepared for its home opener Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. “I feel good coming into this year.”
Bey spent the summer training in Boulder, Colorado, weightlifting and playing basketball, working on every part of his game.
But he did something different this year. He also spent time hiking in the mountains, which was part of a plan to get him out of a gym and refresh his mind while gaining endurance training at altitude.
“You are literally climbing rocks,” he said. “It’s kind of dangerous, but I liked it.”
He smiled.
“You could lose your footing,” he said. “You have to stay present in that moment because you could be off a cliff and things like that. So it was great.”
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Bey has always been a gym rat.
But he’s never really had any other outside hobbies.
“It was always a struggle to find something else outside of basketball that I like to do,” he said. “I love basketball. I’m just trying to figure out ways to reset my mind. Because it’s a long season.”
When he arrived in Colorado, Bey was blown away just looking at the mountains.
“It looks almost fake to me,” he said. “I’ve never really seen a mountain that close in my life. I mean, I’m from Maryland, so we don’t really have any.”
He bought a pair of hiking boots — size 15 — and off he went.
His longest hike was the Royal Arch Trail in Chautauqua Park, a 3.7-mile loop with an elevation of about 6,900 feet — well over a mile above sea level.
“Amazing,” he said. “I wasn’t really afraid. I kind of like being on risky side, the dangerous side.”
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He still hit the gym, training at the University of Colorado — sometimes twice a day — working out with Aaron Dotson, one of the Pistons video guys.
“We stuck to the plan,” Bey said.
But some of that is top secret.
“I don’t wanna give all my secrets,” Bey said. “Stick to the plan the staff gave me.”
Bey averaged 16.1 points per game last season, which included a 51-point explosion in March against Orlando. And he figures to play a central role for the Pistons going forward.
“How much has he improved since the end of last year?” I asked Pistons coach Dwane Casey.
“A lot, a lot,” Casey replied. “Him understanding the moment, knowing what is a good shot and not a good shot. His defensive acumen has improved, his switching.”
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No joke — Bey is young but ready
After all the training, Bey feels better prepared for the NBA grind.
“For sure,” he said. “We had a tough training camp but I feel good.”
It’s almost crazy how young the Pistons core is.
There’s one thing to remember about Bey: He’s 23, still learning, still developing.
He was born April 9, 1999. But he is still older than Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart.
“What’s it like playing with this collection of young players?” I asked.
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“Well, first, they’re great, great character, guys,” he said. “They want to be great. They listen to us, to people who been here, and to the coaches. So it’s just a treat to have them. Everybody can play. It’s great to be able to compete with these guys every day.”
A few weeks ago, he added a splash of green to his hair. Just like last year.
It’s in honor of the Joker, his favorite character.
“I like the villain mentality,” Bey said. “Once you watch all the movies and then you see in the latest one how he grew up and how people treated him and you have a little bit sympathy towards him. But I just like the villain.”
He broke into another smile.
Kobe Bryant had his “mamba mentality.”
And Bey has his Joker.
He’s just your average 6-foot-7 rock-climber, who loves a villain; and he doesn’t mind a little danger.
But he’s still sympathetic.
Now, that’s an interesting character.
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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.
To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.