How Detroit Pistons' Saddiq Bey ended slump: Aggressiveness in practice translates to game
INDIANAPOLIS — Ask any member of the Detroit Pistons, and they will agree: Saddiq Bey is one of the hardest workers on the team.
It's why few, if any, of Bey's teammates and coaches expressed serious concern about his shooting slump through most of this season. Bey's percentages have declined across the board after a strong first season that saw him earn All-Rookie first team honors.
They see the things that fans, and to a slightly lesser extent, media, don't get to see — his intensity during practices, diligence during film sessions and late-night shooting drills.
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No one was more aware of the shooting slump than Bey himself. And he worked so hard to break it, that Dwane Casey has wondered aloud if he was working too hard.
But those efforts finally paid off on Thursday. Bey enjoyed one of the best scoring nights of his career, scoring 28 on 9-for-17 overall shooting, tying his season-high and two short of his career-high, to go with with 10 rebounds and five assists during the 122-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
"We’ve poured a lot of time into Saddiq and talked about him and how we can help him a little bit more," assistant coach Rex Kalamian, who led the Pistons on Thursday after Casey missed the game due to personal reasons, said. "My message to him tonight was just be aggressive. Be aggressive and if you have an open shot, take it. I like what he did in the full court with the basketball in his hands. How he attacked a few times and got to the rim. That’s how he needs to play.
"He just seemed like once he saw the ball go through a few times tonight, he played so much more freely," he continued. "Twenty-eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists, that’s who Saddiq Bey is and we’re going to get a lot more games like that from him."
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Bey established himself as a volume 3-point shooter last season, and his shot fell on Thursday as he knocked down 3 of 7 3-pointers. But he did significant damage at the rim and from the line, setting career-highs in free-throw attempts and makes (7-for-7). He was aggressive in the open floor, and used his frame and footwork to move defenders and maneuver to the basket.
He's taking more shots inside the arc this season compared to last. The results have been mixed. Thursday showed that the work he put in his offseason to diversify his offensive game can pay off.
"I think it’s a combination of the player coming in and putting in more work and more shooting, and Saddiq is probably one of our hardest workers," Kalamian said. "He takes a ton of shots. He comes back every night and shoots. Very, very diligent worker. And a little bit of it is on us to get him open looks. It’s a make-or-miss league sometimes, right? Tonight, he was just phenomenal. I just loved his aggressiveness and how he attacked the rim."
With Jerami Grant out with a thumb injury, there's room in the offense for Bey to build on his performance against the Pacers. The Pistons, currently mired in a 13-game losing streak, need that from him.
He didn't pat himself on the back for his scoring outburst after the game. His daily approach has been the same all season. It finally paid off for him, as Thursday was his first time scoring at least 20 points since Nov. 15.
"To be honest, every day I try to leave it all out there as far as I can," Bey said. "Whatever the end result happens, I can live with it if I play hard for the entire 48. That was my mentality coming in."
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' Saddiq Bey's dogged mentality helps him end slump
