LAS VEGAS — Imagine a world in which a basketball coach and general manager want their top-notch 23-year-old prospect to take a break from basketball. This world, centered on Detroit in this case, says a lot more about the player than about those responsible.
Pistons striker Saddiq Bey has had to be physically removed from the hardwood at times. Following his rookie season, which saw the former Villanova product earn All-Rookie honors, Bey spent much of his offseason playing with Team USA. From there, he participated in the move of the Summer League from Detroit to Las Vegas. After that, Bey went on to play and start in all 82 games for the Pistons. In his spare time, Bey would take his work home, or vice versa. He always ended up at the team’s training center.
Basketball. Basketball. More basketball.
“The staff recommended me (to take some time off),” Bey said with a smile during her end-of-season media availability.
Many thought Bey needed a hobby; something that could momentarily take his mind and body away from the game that consumes him and perhaps allow him to recover both physically and mentally. A fresh mind goes a long way.
So for the past two months, Bey has been hiking in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, where he rented a three-story Airbnb.
Yes, hiking.
“I love being off the grid,” Bey said Athleticism Last week. “It’s quiet. It’s peaceful.
Bey’s new hobby, however, is part of a bigger plan. He did not seek to hike. It just comes with the environment he temporarily calls home. Neither did Bey spin a globe, close her eyes, and move to whatever state her finger landed on. Everything was strategic and chosen with basketball in mind. In this world, Colorado is known for its altitude. At higher altitudes, breathing is not easy. Fatigue sets in more quickly. If someone is fit in Colorado, he is fit everywhere.
Technically, yes, Bey has found a new hobby. It’s just one that he hopes will improve the hobby he loves the most.
“I wanted to try something different,” Bey said. “I do the same things every summer. I was lucky enough to be able to train elsewhere. I thought that was the best place.
High altitude training was not recommended to Bey by anyone. Being in the NBA, he learned firsthand the difficulty that can come from playing in cities far above sea level.
Bey made the decision shortly after the end of the season and asked Pistons video coordinator Aaron Dotson to go with him. Bey lives on the top floor of the Airbnb, Dotson downstairs. During the NBA playoffs, the two would meet in the middle to watch games. Then they would go back to their spaces until 3:45 a.m. when their separate alarms went off, as Bey likes to lift weights before hitting a basketball. At 5 a.m., Bey and Dotson began their training in the field. The two would practice until around 8 a.m., when the Colorado men’s basketball team would take the floor. Bey and Dotson were returning to campus for a second practice in the afternoon.
Once a week, the two would dust each other on a hike.
“We hiked three miles. I thought I was going to pass out,” Dotson said Athleticism. “He kept stopping and waiting for me. I would just tell him to go and I’ll meet him at the top. When he got there he was taking pictures and smiling. Every time we get to the top , he’s still impressed. Nothing else matters, not basketball or money.
They also resumed fishing.
“He’s not a big fisherman,” Dotson said of Bey.
How is someone bad at fishing?
“I don’t know, but he’s struggling.”
Living isolated in the mountains of Colorado was Bey’s way of meeting the Pistons halfway. He can’t drop basketball. It’s just not wired that way. However, this new adventure gave him peace of mind and allowed him to reset himself. Bey was in a place of relaxation, but he also worked there.
Dotson said the on-court workouts he and Bey went through focused mostly on ball handling and getting Bey to shoot faster. Bey is no longer a secret. It’s tough to be when you have a 51-point performance under your belt, as well as multiple 30-point plays. Detroit head coach Dwane Casey wants to use Bey more as a pick-and-roll creator in Year Three. So Bey and Dotson went through hundreds and thousands of reps in various situations. Bey, a high school-dated knockdown shooter, was a bit 3-streaked last season and at times felt rushed when he let shots fly. The defenses had Bey higher on the recon report. The fences have been more suffocating than they were for his rookie season. Bey is no longer interested in this type of inconsistency.
“He’s such a hard worker,” Dotson said. “He just wanted a new challenge. The first week we arrived in the mountains was difficult.
Bey said he felt in the best shape of his life. The altitude did its job. He now plans to be back with the Detroit team after the Summer League, leaving the scenic views of Boulder behind.
The Pistons are gearing up for a potentially pivotal season in the franchise’s return to relevance. Bey is a contender for a breakout season. For the team to reach a milestone, Bey will have to reach another milestone.
He knows it, and that’s why he couldn’t leave the game alone. Not even for a moment.
“I’m just always in the gym,” Bey said. “It’s hard for me to find another hobby. It was the best I could do.
(Saddiq Bey top photo credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports)
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