One Pelican Who Should Be Thrilled About the Saddiq Bey Contract Extension

The three-year extension to keep Saddiq Bey is a win for both him and the New Orleans Pelicans. Bey was a key contributor last season, averaging a career-high 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. New Orleans secured the versatile forward's future in the Big Easy with a deal worth over $55 million.

There is one player on the roster who should be most excited about Bey’s deal to stay in town: Zion Williamson.

New Orleans has long wanted frontcourt contributors to space the floor and impact rebounding when paired with Williamson. The Pelicans' lack of viable size makes it imperative that players in their small-ball lineups make significant impacts, and Bey did so last season. The former Villanova standout averaged more than 20 points and 40% shooting from three after the All-Star break. He also had three of the top-scoring outings of his career last year, scoring 42, 36, and 34, respectively.

Size will also be an issue this season, as the Pelicans did not sign any significant contributing centers this summer. That means more small lineups on the floor together for new head coach Jamahl Mosley. According to Basketball-Reference, Bey played 46% of his minutes at power forward, which allowed Williamson to play some small forward last year. With Zion’s size, agility, and strength, the small forward spot gives him a clear advantage offensively against opposing forwards.

Giving Williamson room to operate

Bey and Williamson played 595 minutes together last season, and Databallr shows the Pelicans had a +6.8 net rating when the duo played together. The team’s offensive rating was 120.8, and it shot over 36% from three during those minutes. Bey can also create his own shot around the paint, but he is enough of a volume three-point shooter to keep defenses from crowding the lane around Williamson and Derik Queen.

While the 6'8" Bey doesn’t solve all the team’s defensive rebounding deficiencies, his willingness to crash the glass resulted in him having the third-highest defensive rebounding percentage on the team.

His tough mindset is why the Pelicans wanted to lock Bey up for the foreseeable future, a point echoed in the team’s official statement about his signing. “Saddiq represents the culture we are establishing in New Orleans with his toughness, work ethic, and commitment to the team,” Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in the release.

“He approaches every day with a professional mindset, and we are excited about the role he will play in our future.” Williamson has been a player throughout his career who has been scrutinized, rightly or wrongly, for his conditioning, commitment, and work ethic.

Establishing culture amid a coaching change

Bey appears to be a net positive in the locker room, setting the standard for day-to-day hard work. His role may be a little trickier this season, with the full return of Dejounte Murray to the lineup and the signing of Bennedict Mathurin this offseason. He should slide nicely into a sixth-man role, but he'll still get plenty of late-game minutes, as he did last season.

Bey’s contract extension means stability for him and the organization moving forward. That should spell something positive for Williamson, who will be on his fifth head coach since joining the Pelicans in 2019. While Bey earned his payday, Zion will gain a tough, selfless teammate on his timeline who complements his strengths and, at times, takes some pressure off him on the court.

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