With the No. 19 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons have selected Villanova standout Saddiq Bey. The Pistons reportedly acquired the selection through a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
Bey started 60 of 67 games across two seasons with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-8 wing built on a solid freshman year by averaging a team-high 16.1 points and finishing fourth in the nation with a 45.1% clip from downtown last season.
He was also unanimously selected to the All-Big East first team and named the recipient of the 2019-20 Julius Erving Award, which is given annually to the top men's collegiate small forward. Bey is among the top wings in this year's draft class and should immediately contribute at the next level.
His physical profile and skill set are similar to fellow Villanova alumnus and current Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges. While the two never played alongside one another, Bey often studied Bridges' college game film during his time as a Wildcat.
"I would watch how versatile he was and how he played hard on both ends," Bey told reporters, including theScore, during his recent NBA draft media availability. "He was really a presence on the defensive end and always had a role."
Bio
Position: F
School: Villanova
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 216 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-11
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- 3-and-D potential
- Has size, skill set to play either forward position
- Shows great anticipation on the defensive end
- Active on the offensive glass
- Elite spot-up shooter; he ranked fourth in the Big East with 5.1 points per game in such situations
- Flashed an ability to create for others out of the pick-and-roll and off the drive-and-kick
Weaknesses
- Lacks explosiveness to blow by defenders
- Struggles to create his own shot
- Should make more trips to the free-throw line with his frame; he averaged only two attempts per game in two seasons
