Former Detroit Pistons First-Rounder Suffers Major Injury

Former Detroit Pistons first-rounder Saddiq Bey is facing a long recovery.

On Monday, the Atlanta Hawks received word that their veteran forward Saddiq Bey suffered a torn ACL. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the diagnosis based on what was revealed from an MRI confirms that Bey will miss the remainder of the 2023-2024 NBA season.

Bey, a former Detroit Pistons first-rounder, made his way to Atlanta via trade last season. During the 2022-2023 run, the Pistons cut ties with Bey ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline. In a four-team deal involving the Pistons, Hawks, Golden State Warriors, and the Portland Trail Blazers, Bey found himself packaged to ATL.

The former 19th overall pick out of Villanova was initially selected by the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. The day after the draft, the Pistons made a deal to acquire Bey, who had a standout first season in the NBA, receiving consideration for Rookie of the Year.

In his first 70 games with the Pistons, Bey averaged 12 points and five rebounds while knocking down 38 percent of his threes. During his sophomore effort, Bey had his best season as a pro by averaging 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game.

After spending 52 games in Detroit for his third NBA season, Bey joined the Hawks for a 25-game run last year. He averaged 25 minutes on the court down the stretch of the season for his new team.

The Hawks stuck with Bey throughout the 2023-2024 season. This season, he started in 51 of the 63 games he appeared in. Checking in for over 30 minutes per night, Bey has averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game.

Unfortunately, Bey’s run this season will end prematurely. He lands on the Hawks’ injury report while the team is sitting in tenth place with a 29-35 record.