Saddiq Bey: Why the Pistons Star Could Make NBA History!
Nov 14, 2026
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Detroit Pistons 23-year-old Sadiq Bae has
a lot to share with the world of the NBA.
He is actually a player that the Pistons can trust.
But what is it that makes him so outstanding?
Keep watching till the end of the video to see why Sadiq Bae
is going to make NBA history because you will be amazed.
2020 NBA Draft
The Detroit Pistons have selected Sadiq Bey
with the number 19 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft
as part of a three-team trade
with the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
He was Detroit's third first-round pick,
joining 7th overall selection Killian Hayes
and 16th pick Isaiah Stewart.
Bay shot an incredible 45.1% from beyond the arc on 5.6 attempts.
That improvement was stark compared to his freshman season,
in which he made only 37.4% of his attempts
and shot a meager 64.4% at the free-throw line.
His elongated shooting motion may be unusual,
But it's hard to argue with the results.
At 6'8", with a 6'10 wingspan,
his physical dimensions are ideal for a modern defense.
Bay was the third Villanova Wildcat to win the Julius Irving Award
as the nation's top small forward in four years,
following Hart and Bridges.
Actually, Bae never really looked like a rookie,
as he never really made any mistakes.
He played tough defense and shot the ball with confidence.
He was not only one of the best rookie
three-point shooters of all time,
but played smothering defense on the perimeter.
He actually draws inspiration from a comic book villain.
Now, one might look at Bae
and notice a physical forward with solid two-way abilities.
Though aesthetically, you'll
also see a small green patch of hair sitting atop his 22-year-old head.
Pistons beat writer James Edwards III
explained how Bay resonates with the Joker.
The patch is an ode to the Joker,
the famous villain who has terrorized Batman,
everyone's favorite hero, for more than 80 years.
Bay grew up watching Batman cartoons,
gravitating more toward the character
who generated mayhem throughout Gotham.
Bay too wants to create chaos.
He wants to be the villain.
Bay wants you to hate him.
He wants you to say something so that he can say something back.
Even ahead of the 2020 draft,
Bay said in an interview what his music of choice is to get
him fired up for a game and he said,
I actually used to listen to the Joker soundtrack. It's
crazy to say, but I did.
He is my favorite character in the Batman universe. If you listen
to it when you watch the movie,
you'll hear little things that capture the moment. That
helps set the mood for how I'm going to play on the court.
I can't explain it because it's just
Just so personal to me.
Career high of 51 points.
Back in March, Bae proved his abilities in the best way possible.
He scored 21 of his career-high 51 points in the first quarter,
while Marvin Bagley III contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Bae made 17 of 27 shots,
including a career-best 10 three-pointers on 14 attempts,
as coach Dwayne Casey recorded his 100th career victory
in three-plus seasons with Detroit.
The forward totaled 30 points during the opening half
as the Pistons made half of their 24 three-point shots
en route to a 73-62 lead.
Bay, who hit two free throws with 8.2 seconds left to reach 51 points,
also secured nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
With Detroit leading 68-62 in time winding down in the second quarter,
Bay scored five points in the final nine seconds
to give the Pistons an 11-point halftime advantage.
He is what the Pistons need right now.
Bae is a man who eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball.
Even though he might not be an athletic freak by NBA standards,
his work ethic allows him to overcome his natural athletic limitations.
He is always thinking about improvement and development.
He is always working on his game, his mind, and his body.
Even during the summer months,
Bae is working for hours every day to perfect his craft.
His work ethic is second to none,
though the coaches wouldn't mind if he took it a little easy.
That's been recommended for me for sure from the coaching staff.
It actually is a tough battle for me every summer.
If it's been a couple of days I've
been off, I want to get into the gym.
I have to figure out that balance.
I love to play basketball.
Just the joy of playing basketball.
Not just the NBA, but the joy of playing basketball.
It's my favorite hobby, Bae said.
And the improvements from year to year
are definitely evident on the court.
With the Pistons fielding one of the youngest rosters on the NBA
and the leading scorer Jeremy Grant off to Portland,
the Pistons will look to Bay to provide some consistency
and maturity on the court,
especially on the offensive end.
Bay's role in the offense won't be to facilitate, at least not yet.
The Pistons' offense goes through Cade Cunningham,
but Bay will be expected to capitalize
on the opportunities created for him by Cunningham
and the other primary ball handlers on the floor.
He will also be expected to create offense for himself,
something he's already gradually mastered.
In fact, expect Bay to have more featured opportunities.
In the second quarter, when many
of the starters are getting their rest,
Bay may be the guy the Pistons leave
in to keep pace with the other team.
Defensively, Bay will spend his time guarding
the opposing team's forwards.
Bay has shown to be serviceable on defense,
but that won't be his calling card.
Instead, Bay will focus on contesting shots
and playing within the Pistons' defensive scheme each night,
which will likely focus on funneling the offense toward Isaiah Stewart,
Jalen Duren, and company.
Bae has taken positive steps throughout the year,
but this season might be the most important
for him and the Pistons as they look to compete in each and every game.
Bae is a good NBA player.
Making the jump from an average NBA player
to a good NBA player is one thing, but making
the jump from a good NBA player to a player
that flirts with All-Star appearance will
prove to be more difficult.
Bae's role and utilization this season will
likely afford him the opportunity to show
that he is capable of becoming that player.
The minimum expectations for Bay heading
into year three would be to match his scoring totals
from a season ago, but with slightly better efficiency.
However, it's not out of the realm
of possibility for Bay to hover around 40% from beyond the arc
and average nearly 20 points,
three assists, and keep his turnover numbers around
his career average of one per game.
He is efficient in his play.
It's kind of like you want him to be a little more reckless,
more aggressive, but he is such a conscientious player.
A conscientious kid that he doesn't want to make mistakes
and doesn't, says Dwayne Casey.
Sadiq, he is one that he hasn't had a break.
He is one of those guys that reminds me of Dirk Nowitzki.
We used to put a lock on the gym to keep him out of the gym.
He is a basketball junkie.
Casey added praise words for Bae.
He is becoming better.
So he was an excellent player even as a rookie.
Bae averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds,
and 1.4 assists during his rookie campaign
and was named to the all-rookie first team.
He led all rookies with a 175 three-point shots made.
Later during his second season,
Bae improved and showed more versatility,
developing into more than just a 3 and D player.
His numbers benefited as well, averaging 16.2 points,
5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
He also improved from 0.2 steals a game to 0.9.
He improved his ability to rebound
and he has also improved as a passer.
His assist percentage jumped from 7.6%
as a rookie to 13.8% last season.
And his turnover rate went from 8.2% to 7.5% per cleaning the glass.
Now if Bae can become a more consistent shooter,
he won't have to worry about being the joker.
He may develop into the perfect Robin
for the Pistons next season and beyond.
Actually, Bay's aggressiveness to the rim has improved nicely
in the early part of the season.
He has almost doubled his free throw attempts per game
and is easily shooting the highest percentage
of his career inside the arc.
On November 2nd, Bay scored a team-high 22 points,
3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal
over 35 minutes during a 116-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bae has now scored in double digits in three games in a row,
and while he seems to be trending
in the right direction from a scoring perspective,
the lack of consistency on a game-to-game
basis hinders his fantasy output.
He has scored at least 20 points twice in that span,
though, and he is averaging 16.8
points per game across his last five contests.
So what do you think of Sadiq Bae?
Let us know in the comments down below.

