With his team set to open the season Wednesday night against the Bulls, Pistons GM Troy Weaver was running through a list of players who impressed him in training camp. He said Josh Jackson "had a tremendous camp." He said Frank Jackson "really stepped up" and Killian Hayes has "improved."
"But Saddiq Bey," said Weaver, "has really made a jump."
Which is saying something for a guy who made quite the jump last season. The 19th overall pick drained the most threes by a rookie in franchise history. He had 12 games of at least 20 points and five of at least 25. Most of those binges came in the second half of the season when Bey replaced Blake Griffin in Detroit's starting lineup, and most of them were fueled by the three. That remains Bey's best asset. His NBA story will be written beyond the arc.
But Bey proved in Summer League he's finding new ways to score. He created shots off the dribble and backed down smaller defenders. He drove the lane and found open teammates. He flashed a fancy midrange fadeaway. He did a lot of things he didn't do -- couldn't do -- as a rookie, which pushes his ceiling from a 3-and-D specialist to an all-around star.
"Of course he was All-Rookie, but he’s really made a jump in his overall game," Weaver told the Stoney & Jansen Show. "We’re excited about these guys, but I would say Saddiq Bey is really coming on."
Bey also had the benefit this summer, along with All-Rookie teammate Isaiah Stewart, of training with the U.S. Olympic Team before it won Gold in Tokyo. He got to run with stars like Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum, three of the NBA's best pure scorers, and watch them train every day: growth by osmosis.
"That always validates you when you can get in a room amongst the top players in the NBA, so I’m sure that helped his confidence," said Weaver. "But he’s just such a tremendous worker. He’s come back with renewed confidence and he’s starting to take off."
It took time for Bey to get consistently big minutes last season. He'll play a big role this season from the jump, with his second jump coming.
Other highlights from Weaver's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
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On his expectations for Killian Hayes: "We’re confident that, knock on wood, he stays healthy, he’ll get his feet under him and get going in the right direction. But he’s just 20 years old. He, Isaiah Stewart and Cade are our 20-year-olds, so you have to exercise a little patience there. But we’re excited about where he is now and what’s ahead of him. You have to be patient with these young players and coach them up and let them grow, but we’re excited about Killian."
On the addition of Kelly Olynyk: "He’s a great veteran who’s skilled, great IQ. He’s the equivalent of having a great tight end. You know where he’ll be, he’s always in the right places, he’s skilled. He’ll give our young guards someone they can play to. So we’re looking forward to what Kelly brings and exited that he’s in a Pistons uniform now."