One of the biggest talking points surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans throughout the preseason was Saddiq Bey’s struggles after signing a three-year contract extension. Going into the Pelicans' preseason finale, Bey was averaging 7 points, shooting 30 percent from the field and 25 percent from three. Obviously, preseason stats should be taken with a grain of salt, but the way Bey struggled to get to his shots and the open looks that were money were definitely concerning.
Thankfully, fans can breathe a little easier, as in the team's final preseason showdown against Washington, he looked like the Saddiq Bey New Orleans expected him to be.
Bey finished Friday night's game with 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. Bey was once again creating his own offense, bringing an impact defensively, being a threat on the glass, and being a reliable spacing threat for his teammates to swing the rock to.
One game doesn’t mean Bey will have a flawless year or put up numbers like his career year of 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 36.7 percent. That being said, he looked way more like that same player than he did through the first three games.
Bey is back!
I didn’t have any issues with Saddiq Bey’s extension when it was handed out because of the dollar amount, structure, or length of the deal. My worry was whether Bey could replicate the production he showed with the Pelicans in 2025-26 or if that season was simply a one-off. Then the preseason started, and those intrusive thoughts came right back because everything about Bey’s play seemed off.
Truly, though, he couldn’t have had a better performance to ease that feeling than he did on Friday. His shot-making, his fit in the flow of the Pelicans offense, and the confidence he played with made him look like the player the fan base fell in love with last season.
Honestly, the easiest excuse to make for his poor start is probably that he was just trying to find his fit in a completely different role as a second-unit player after starting 64 games last season. Bey was also likely struggling with the adjustment to a new offensive scheme and group of players because he was coming off the bench with that second unit.
Whatever had Bey out of sorts, he figured it out at the right time, and it looks like he’ll be ready to be the player he was extended to be on opening night against the Indiana Pacers.
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