Peachtree Hoops: 2023-24 Atlanta Hawks player preview: Saddiq Bey

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Saddiq Bey was a big help to the Hawks after being traded at the deadline, and he may see a more increased role this season.

Bey was traded to the Hawks in a four-team deal, with Atlanta sending out five second-round picks to the Golden State Warriors. It was evident that the Hawks were looking for more offense and three-point shooting as the season went on, and Bey seemed to be the right answer.

Since his rookie season, Bey had already made a ton of threes on the Detroit Pistons. In his first year in the league, he finished with the third most three-points made by a rookie in NBA history and followed that up the next year by breaking the Pistons’ record for made three-pointers in a season.

When you hear those stats, it was clearly a no-brainer for the Hawks to go after him. With Quin Snyder then added to the fold, the fit made even more sense, and it proved to work out well for the Hawks through the end of the season into the playoffs.

In 25 games for the Hawks, Bey shot 40% from three and averaged 11.6 points. Not only did Bey show his ability to knock down perimeter shots consistently, but he was creative in getting into the paint and finishing at the rim.

When Bey was first acquired, Landry Fields noted Bey’s versatility to play both the three and four on the team. Now with John Collins gone, Bey will most likely see more minutes at the four and could help improve spacing the floor with his perimeter shooting. He may also have the chance the start at the four, as he and Jalen Johnson are the top two candidates to grab the spot.

“For me, it's whatever the team needs,” Bey said during media day. “I'm ready for whatever the team and organization needs on both ends of the floor. Whatever they call me to do, I’m ready for.”

Defensively, it will be interesting to see how the Hawks plan to use Bey since he's not your typical big-sized four. When Snyder coached for Utah, he played Royce O’Neale at the four, so this won't be anything new to him.

With Snyder fully implementing his scheme this season, Bey could see a lot of opportunity on the floor with his skill set, and hopefully, he can build off of what he did to end the previous season.

“Just the spacing and how he wants to play, the schemes and the sets we've been running during the summer and what we'll be running during training camp,” Bey said. “It’s been good for me to be around so I can see that and work on my game within the offense. It's been good to get comfortable.”

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