Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey looks to stay hot after record breaking night

Detroit Pistons rookie forward Saddiq Bey launched himself into elite company Friday evening with a 30 point, 12 rebound effort in Detroit’s 108-102 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Bey didn’t just outperform expectations; he was superb all evening long, shooting a perfect seven for seven from three-point range, including the dagger late in the ball game. Bey drilled a contested three with about a minute left to put the Detroit Pistons up by two possessions.

The rookie wing also played splendid defense guarding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at various times throughout the evening.  The star forward Tatum did score 33 points, but it’s a skewed figure understanding 12 of those came off of 13 free throw attempts.

Tatum went 9 of 22 from the field and 3 for 7 from the field.  Brown chipped in, going 11 for 21 from the field and 1 for 4 from beyond the arc.

The Detroit Pistons did a fine job limiting the Celtics’ chances on Friday, holding the group to just 102 points.

Bey became the second Pistons’ rookie in franchise history to score 30 points and corral at least 10 boards in a game.  The other came back in 1995 when Grant Hill scored 33 points and pulled down a whopping 16 rebounds.

Here is another impressive stat; Bey became the first rookie to EVER convert on at least seven consecutive threes without a miss.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1360582015519703042?s=20

Bey should see plenty of opportunities moving forward, not only due to his hot shooting in Boston but also because the Pistons traded former league MVP Derrick Rose to New York.  By Rose’s departure, players like Bey and SVI should see an expanded role.

Through his first 24 NBA games, Bey is averaging 8.8 points, 3.5 boards, and 0.7 assists per game.  He’s also shooting 41 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three, and just over 80% from the charity stripe.

It’s still early, and the jury is still out on injured rookie point guard Killian Hayes, but it appears first-year general manager Troy Weaver aced his first NBA Draft.

Not only is first-round pick (19) Bey making a significant impact in 2021, so is the center; Isaiah Stewart selected three picks earlier, 16th overall.

Bey will look to keep up his hot shooting Sunday night at home as the Detroit Pistons host the Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans.