Saddiq Bey is a 6’8 SF from Villinova and projected to go from picks 10-15 in the upcoming NBA Draft. When you think of a 3nD player, Saddiq should become that blueprint. He’s probably top 3 shooters in this draft class, and one of the best defending forwards in this draft. Saddiq was an unranked 3 star prospect in ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2018. He was recruited by D1 schools like Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt but he did end up going with Villinova. Nova has been notorious for turning low level HS players into players that can contribute on Nova and help them become good players in the NBA like Eric Paschell, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridges. As a Freshman, Saddiq averaged around 30mpg but only averaged 8.2PPG on 37% from deep. In his Sophomore year he really improved by averaging 16.1PPG, 4.7RPG, 2.4APG, shooting 48% from the field and shooting 45% from downtown. So far he’s proven he can get better which can make him a big threat going into the NBA.
Strengths: As I stated above, Saddiq Bey is the ideal poster boy for 3nD. His form is smooth and quick, it could look a little weird but it’s effective. He can hit that big contested shot if needed, he makes open and contested shots like nothing just like Klay Thompson. He mostly gets his shot up when he catch and shoots, he’s one of the best catch and shoot guys in the country, *just like Klay Thompson*. He has elite off-ball movement to get himself open, he runs the court well, he can corner lift well. He has a really nice hop shooting form that’s really effective, he can knock down any type of shot you need him to make. Now he doesn’t have defensive stats to show how good of a defender he actually is, his 6’10 wingspan really makes him a threat to stop any forward in the NBA. Saddiq is really good at baiting, shooting to shoot the ball and then contesting with his length. Saddiq has shown flashes of greatness on the defensive side, he uses his length correctly, he knows what’s happening all the time, he’s a great team defender. Saddiq has shown flashes of being a great finisher but lacks the athleticism. But as shown from his freshman year to his sophomore year, Saddiq is dedicated to improving his game so I’m fully confident that he’ll become a great finisher.
Weaknesses: All these weaknesses I’ll tell you about can be easily be fixed by good NBA coaches and training staff. His lack of athleticism can hurt him on both sides of the ball. If he gets switched onto a faster guard, the guard will look to run right around him. And on the offensive side, he can’t get around a defender and has to rely on his off ball movement to get him open. One shifty crossover by a guard on Bey will result in them blowing by him. Like when I say this man is unathletic, like that’s an understatement. Now when he has the ball in his hands and tries to make his own shot, he really can’t. He settles for a lot of ISO shots, and he takes a lot of shots off the PnR. Saddiq needs to learn his role of him being an Elite Spot up Shooter and that’s basically it on the offensive side until he can improve on other aspects. But other than that, Saddiq Bey has the potential to be one the league’s premier 3 point shooters for years to come.
TheDyspatch 