Boston Celtics 2020 NBA Draft Profile: Saddiq Bey

Strengths

Elite three-point shooting

The thing that may excite Boston Celtic fans the most about Bey may not even be his red hot 42.6 percent shooting from three but the fact that he even shot slightly better at 42.9 percent from NBA distance on 49 attempts.

During his sophomore season, he ranked in the 98th percentile on catch and shoot looks, on a very healthy diet of these shots. Around ¼ of all his offense came off these catch-and-shoot attempts and his three-point shot chart had a somewhat symmetrical distribution with a slight skew towards the left side.

He gets excellent elevation on his shot despite not having picture-perfect mechanics and has a relatively quick release.

The Cs need floor spacing off the pine desperately, and Bey provides just that. Boston’s bench ranked 28th in three-point percentage and last in bench three-point attempts.

Potential defensive versatility 

Saddiq Bey’s defensive identity is something that many teams are trying to figure out. After getting a chance to watch him, there are some promising parts to his game that make him a possible two-way, 3-and-D type of player.

At the moment, his lack of defensive footspeed may hinder his ability to guard that next level quickness. Coach Jay Wright routinely assigned the 6-8 wing to defend the opposition’s primary creator.

Even if it meant guarding Marquette’s shifty 5-11 Markus Howard, Bey was up for the task.

While his lateral quickness will be tested at the NBA level, he has the physical tools necessary to become a promising two-way player. At the moment, Bey at least tries on defense, a typical trait of Villanova alumni currently playing in the NBA.

Basketball IQ

When watching a Villanova game, one gets a feel for why they are such a successful team year after year. Their four out, one in motion offense is very similar to an NBA offense.

There’s a certain level of understanding in terms of spacing and precision that comes with mastering this system. Villanova players who made the next level jump to the NBA are usually a bit older and have three to four years of playing experience at the collegiate level. Bey was only a sophomore and already had a large share of the offensive load.

He knows where to be on the floor. He knows when to relocate to an open three-pointer after the initial pass. He knows when to make the extra pass.

Bey also excels in transition.

Villanova’s offense was slow and methodical, ranking 18th overall at the slowest pace in the entire NCAA, but Bey in transition ranked in the 93rd percentile in scoring efficiency.

Bey’s high basketball IQ translates to the defensive side of the floor as well.

He understands when to get his hands in the passing lanes and give shooters enough space to land. When watching Bey on defense, you can tell he has an understanding of what shots are okay to give up.

He understands the analytics behind the game. Countless times his quicker assignments ended up shooting the long isolation contested two-pointer, a shot many NBA teams are willing to live with their opponents taking.

Potential Secondary Creation Abilities 

While Saddiq Bey has yet to draw that many comparisons, the concept of a Khris Middleton type of player is something Bey can look to achieve — a player who can both spot-up, and when called upon, take the pressure off the primary ball-handler.

While the sample size was small (66 possessions), he ranked in the 88th percentile in the pick and roll action as the ball handler.

Again, Bey is not a secondary creator at the moment, but he has the ability to hit tough shots off the dribble.

His assist numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping, and he lacks a certain dynamic east-west explosiveness, for he is far from being considered shifty.

That said, this element of his game is developing, especially when one looks at his improvement from year one to year two at Villanova.