It was a busy night for the Detroit Pistons during the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.
First, they took guard Killian Hayes with the No. 7 overall pick.
Then, in a proposed trade yet to be approved by the league, the Trail Blazers took center Isaiah Stewart for Detroit.
And so, they needed a forward. And they got it, send Luke Kennard to the Los Angeles Clippers, who then sent Landry Shamet to Brooklyn, who sent the No. 19 pick to Detroit.
And with it, the Pistons picked Villanova forward Saddiq Bey. Here’s what you need to know about the 6-foot-8 21-year-old from the D.C. area:
A nice fit
From all accounts, Bey fits the “Detroit basketball” mode and today’s modern game. He’s regarded as a hard-nosed player who may not wow you physically, but seems to make the right play on a consistent basis. And he’s a career 42% 3-point shooter, so he is perhaps the prototypical “3-and-D” wing that is coveted in the NBA.
The doctor
Bey won the Julius Erving Award last year, given to the best small forward in college basketball. In 2019-20, Bey started in 31 games, averaging 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field and 45.1% from the 3-point line, good enough to be named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention and a All-Big East first-teamer. Fellow Villanova alums and NBA players Josh Hart (2017) and Mikal Bridges (2018) have also won the award.
Other winners including former Michigan State star Denzel Valentine and former Pistons forward Stanley Johnson.
Recruiting? Ha!
Not many would have predicted a first-round selection for Bey out of high school. He was merely a three-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 137 overall player in the class.
He was originally committed to North Carolina State, but asked out of his letter of intent in May of this graduating year. N.C. State did so, but denied his waiver to play elsewhere in the ACC. He got on scholarship at Villanova when Omari Spellman left early for the NBA; he was drafted 30th overall in 2018.
In just his third college game, he was thrust into a rematch of the 2018 national title game between Villanova and Michigan. The Wolverines ripped apart ‘Nova, 73-46, but Bey came off the bench to score three points in 28 minutes.
Mom can hoop
Bey’s mother, Drewanna, is a high school principal. But she is also a former college basketball player at UNC Charlotte. In her last season as a 49er, Bey averaged 10.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while playing 31.3 minutes per game.
Saddiq Bey was born in Charlotte.
Contact Kirkland Crawford: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.
