Boston Celtics 2020 NBA Draft Profile: Saddiq Bey
By Ian Riaf
If the Boston Celtics stick with the 14th pick they should emphasize floor spacing. Saddiq Bey ranks as one of the best shooters in this draft class. Let’s take a deeper dive into how the Villanova standout could help the Cs and our breakdown of if they should select him.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to write my first scouting report with the help of some scouting minds over at AdvanceProBasketball.com. This report gave a general overview of how Saddiq Bey — a player that could be available when the Boston Celtics are on the board — translates to the next level.
At the 14th spot for the Cs, Bey falls smack dab in the middle of many draft boards within the 12-20 range. In a recent Sports Illustrated mock draft, analyst Jeremy Woo has the Celtics selecting the sharpshooting Villanova wing with the hopes of projecting him to be one of more NBA-ready players in this draft. Let’s take a minute to investigate who Saddiq Bey is and how he would fit within the Celtics system.
First, let’s do a little overview:
Overview
Boston Celtics fans may or may not remember back to the 2013 Draft when, on draft night, they traded for Kelly Olynyk, a growth spurt guy, over Giannis Antetokounmpo, another growth spurt guy.
Other growth spurt guys include Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and even Gordon Hayward.
Bey is also a growth spurt guy and shares a shockingly similar height spike to that of Hayward. Both grew from 5-8 to 6-7 during a four year stretch from freshman year of high school to their freshman year of college.
While not the case in every situation, growth spurt guys are usually still able to handle the ball with fluidity as they’ve kept some of their guard-like instincts. Not used as the primary passing hub for Villanova’s offense, Bey showed the ability to bring up the ball and run the offense when called upon.
Players occasionally take their biggest leap from high school to college.
Sometimes it is at college where they find their identity. Bey wasn’t a five-star recruit coming out of high school but took his biggest statistical leap from his Freshman to Sophomore season at Villanova.
Winner of the Julius Erving Award — given to the best collegiate small forward — he is projected as one of the most, if not the most NBA-ready wing in this draft.
If the Boston Celtics intend to select him at the 14th spot, what does Bey bring to the table?