Saddiq Bey
Bey with the Detroit Pistons in 2022
No. 41 – Atlanta Hawks
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-04-09) April 9, 1999 (age 24)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeVillanova (2018–2020)
NBA draft2020: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2023Detroit Pistons
2023–presentAtlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Saddiq Bey (/səˈdiːk ˈbeɪ/ sə-DEEK BAY;[1] born April 9, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats.

High school career

Bey is the son of Drewana Bey, a former high school principal who played collegiate basketball at Charlotte. He attended DeMatha Catholic High School his freshman year before transferring to Sidwell Friends School. He played AAU ball with D.C. Premier.[2] He stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) as a freshman before growing through high school.[3] Bey averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game as a junior to lead Sidwell to a conference championship. He injured his ankle as a senior and missed several games.[4] As a senior, Bey averaged 21 points and eight rebounds per game.[5]

A four-star recruit, Bey was ranked the 83rd-best player in his class by 247Sports.com. Bey originally committed to North Carolina State on November 2, 2017.[6] However, he asked to be released from his letter of intent in May 2018, and was denied a waiver to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After visiting Wake Forest, Boston College and Vanderbilt, he signed with Villanova on June 15.[4] Villanova coach Jay Wright had recruited Bey earlier in high school but began targeting him after Omari Spellman left for the NBA and a scholarship became available.[5]

College career

In his debut versus Morgan State, Bey finished with 16 points and four rebounds.[7] In his first six games he averaged a little under 16 points per game.[3] Bey had his first double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on January 30, 2019, against DePaul.[5] Villanova won the Big East tournament to become the first team with three straight tournament titles, with Bey contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds in the 74–72 championship against Seton Hall.[8] As a freshman, Bey averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, starting 29 of 36 games.[9] He was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.[10]

Coming into his sophomore season, Bey was named to the Julius Erving Award watchlist.[11] On December 4, Bey scored 27 points to lead Villanova to an 80–69 win over Penn.[12] He had a career-high 33 points including eight three-pointers, on January 11, 2020, to help the Wildcats to a 80–66 victory over Georgetown.[13] Bey scored 18 points the following game in a 79–75 overtime win against DePaul.[14] At the conclusion of the regular season, Bey was unanimously selected first-team All-Big East.[15] Bey was named the winner of the Robert V. Geasey Trophy as the top player in the Philadelphia Big 5.[16] Bey won the Julius Erving Award at the end of the season as the nation's top small forward.[17] Bey was the third Villanova player to win the award in the previous six seasons, following Josh Hart in 2017 and Mikal Bridges in 2018.[18] He averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a sophomore.[19]

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2020–2023)

Bey was drafted 19th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020 NBA draft. The following day, November 19, 2020, the Detroit Pistons acquired the draft rights to Bey in a three-team trade.[20] On December 1, the Pistons announced that they had signed Bey.[21] On February 15, 2021, Bey was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.[22] Bey finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting with three third-place votes.[23]

On January 1, 2022, Bey hit a game-winning three-pointer over two defenders in the final seconds of overtime to propel the Pistons to a 117–116 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.[24] Two days later, Bey scored a then-career-high 34 points, along with eight rebounds, leading the Pistons to a 115–106 upset road victory over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.[25] On March 17, 2022, Bey scored a career-high 51 points, along with nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals, in a 134–120 win against the Orlando Magic.[26] On March 23, 2022, Bey set a Pistons record for the most three-pointers made in a season with 192, breaking Allan Houston's previous record of 191.[27]

On January 4, 2023, Bey scored 17 points and made a buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer in a 122–119 win over the Golden State Warriors.[28]

Atlanta Hawks (2023–present)

On February 9, 2023, Bey was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a four-team trade involving the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers.[29] He made his Hawks debut on February 13, recording 12 points and five rebounds in a 144–138 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[30]

On January 28, 2024, Bey put up 26 points alongside a game-winning putback dunk in a 126–124 win over the Toronto Raptors.[31]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Detroit 70 53 27.3 .404 .380 .844 4.5 1.4 .7 .2 12.2
2021–22 Detroit 82* 82* 33.0 .396 .346 .827 5.4 2.8 .9 .2 16.1
2022–23 Detroit 52 30 28.8 .404 .345 .861 4.7 1.6 1.0 .2 14.8
Atlanta 25 7 25.1 .470 .400 .862 4.8 1.4 .8 .0 11.6
Career 229 172 29.4 .406 .361 .844 4.9 1.9 .9 .2 14.1

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Atlanta 1 0 33.4 .412 .333 – 6.0 .0 .0 1.0 17.0
Career 1 0 33.4 .412 .333 – 6.0 .0 .0 1.0 17.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Atlanta 6 0 22.1 .375 .389 .889 4.0 1.0 .5 .0 7.5
Career 6 0 22.1 .375 .389 .889 4.0 1.0 .5 .0 7.5

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Villanova 36 29 29.6 .458 .374 .644 5.1 1.3 .9 .3 8.2
2019–20 Villanova 31 31 33.9 .477 .451 .769 4.7 2.4 .8 .4 16.1
Career 67 60 31.6 .469 .418 .728 4.9 1.8 .8 .4 11.9

References

  1. ^ Atlanta Hawks (41-41) (2-3) vs. Boston Celtics (57-25) (3-2) Thursday, April 27th, 2023, State Farm Arena, 8:30 pm EDT, Postseason Game #6, Home Game #3 (official Hawks game notes) Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  2. ^ Tracy, Marc (March 30, 2018). "Top Private Schools Bring In the Power Elite (and the Power Forwards)". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Jensen, Mike (January 22, 2020). "Saddiq Bey's growth spurt helps Villanova in all sorts of ways". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Pell, Samantha (June 15, 2018). "Four-star 2018 forward Saddiq Bey commits to Villanova". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Juliano, Joe (March 6, 2019). "Villanova freshman Saddiq Bey shows he was ready for big-time college basketball". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Alexander, Jonathan (November 2, 2017). "Saddiq Bey, four-star basketball recruit, commits to NC State". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  7. ^ Jensen, Mike (November 7, 2018). "Villanova unveils the new pieces of its basketball puzzle". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Russo, Ralph D. (March 16, 2019). "Villanova beats Seton Hall to become first team to win three consecutive Big East Tournament titles". NBC Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  9. ^ Juliano, Joe (March 25, 2019). "An immediate offseason question at Villanova: Will Jahvon Quinerly transfer after frustrating season?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Watkins, Eric (March 10, 2019). "Phil Booth, Eric Paschall and Saddiq Bey Earn Big East Honors". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  11. ^ "College basketball awards: 20 small forwards named to 2020 Julius Erving Award preseason watch list". NCAA. October 16, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "Behind Bey, No. 23 Villanova holds off pesky Penn 80–69". ESPN. Associated Press. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  13. ^ "Bey scores 33, leads No. 16 Villanova past Georgetown 80–66". ESPN. Associated Press. January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  14. ^ "No. 14 Villanova survives scare, beats DePaul 79–75 in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  15. ^ Juliano, Joe (March 8, 2020). "Saddiq Bey leads a group of four Villanova players receiving Big East postseason honors". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bey, Robinson-Earl Lead Wildcats' Big Five Award Winners". Villanova Wildcats. April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  17. ^ Juliano, Joe (April 7, 2020). "Villanova's Saddiq Bey wins Julius Erving Award as nation's best small forward, says he'll enter NBA draft". Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Mayo, Quinton (April 7, 2020). "Bey Honored as Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year". villanova.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020. Josh Hart (2017) and Mikal Bridges (2018) were the previous Wildcats to have been recognized with this elite honor.
  19. ^ Dauster, Rob (March 10, 2020). "NBC Sports College Basketball All-American Teams". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  20. ^ "Nets acquire Shamet from Clippers in 3-team trade". NBA.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Rookies Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Saben Lee". NBA.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Devin Booker, Saddiq Bey named NBA Players of the Week". NBA.com. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  23. ^ "Hornets' LaMelo Ball wins 2020-21 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  24. ^ Sankofa, Omari II (January 1, 2022). "Saddiq Bey hits winning 3-pointer as Detroit Pistons beat San Antonio Spurs, 117-116 (OT)". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "Saddiq Bey's career-high 34 points help Pistons stun Bucks". WXYZ Detroit. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  26. ^ Samillano, Gerard (March 17, 2022). "Pistons forward Saddiq Bey completes epic feat with LeBron James, NBA stars not seen in 60 years". ClutchPoints. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  27. ^ Brown, Brandon (March 23, 2022). "Saddiq Bey Makes Pistons History". si.com. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  28. ^ Pagaduan, Jedd (January 4, 2023). "Pistons forward Saddiq Bey sends Klay Thompson, Warriors home unhappy with ice-cold buzzer beater". ClutchPoints. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  29. ^ "Hawks Acquire Guard/Forward Saddiq Bey in Four-Team Trade with Golden State, Detroit and Portland". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  30. ^ Reed, Steve (February 13, 2023). "LAMELO BALL LEADS HORNETS TO WIRE-TO-WIRE VICTORY OVER HAWKS". NBA.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  31. ^ Buyawe, Brian (January 28, 2024). "Hawks' Saddiq Bey saves Atlanta from Raptors shocker, fans go bonkers". ClutchPoints. Retrieved January 28, 2024.

External links

Atlanta Hawks roster
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