Boston Celtics: 3 players Cs regret passing on in 2020 NBA Draft

Player Boston Celtics regret not drafting No. 3) Saddiq Bey

So the Boston Celtics opted to go with a wing player with their lottery selection.

Fine.

That said, when they put their pick in while on the clock, many were surprised to find that they went and chose Aaron Nesmith over Vilanova standout, Saddiq Bey.

Proving to be a better defensive player and almost as good of a shooter as the Vanderbilt wing, to some — including the infamous Houdini comment dweller, Hooligan — Bey was the safer wing to go after of the two prospects.

So far into the 2020-21 season, these people were right.

In 25 games played, the 21-year-old is showing to be a solid 3-and-D contributor for the Detroit Pistons (drafted him 19th overall), as he finds himself averaging 9.1 points on 42 percent shooting and holds a defensive rating of 114.

Celtics fans have already gotten a glimpse of how good Bey has played this season for, in three outings against them, he has averaged 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and a steal on 59 percent shooting from the field and a whopping 78 percent shooting from deep. One of said games even saw the rookie drop season highs of 30 points and 12 rebounds on a perfect seven of seven shooting from downtown in a Pistons win.

While he may have started things off slow, as he has gotten more comfortable with the flow of the NBA, his minutes have begun to increase and, in turn, so too have his per-game stats for, in February, the rookie is putting up 13.9 points and 4.1 rebounds on 54 percent shooting from the field and 56 percent shooting from 3-point range.

No, we have not given up hope in regard to Nesmith’s future potential in this league. However, with the way Saddiq Bey’s been playing, it would appear that he may have been a better option for both in the now and perhaps in the long run.