Saddiq Bey isn’t the type of player who is going to do a lot of talking to opposing players.

Heck, Bey doesn’t even do a whole of talking to his own teammates.

He’s no-nonsense, just as one would expect from a player who shows up to the arena carrying a briefcase.

“Saddiq is quiet,” teammate Derik Queen said. “He doesn’t make any facial expressions. He don’t do nothing. He doesn’t smirk. He comes in and (just) says ‘what’s up’ to everybody. He doesn’t dap anyone up individually in the locker room. He doesn’t say anything. That’s just Saddiq.”

But even the quietest guy on the New Orleans Pelicans roster couldn’t help but unleash some emotions Wednesday night in a 120-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Moments after one of his many clutch baskets in overtime during his 22-point effort, Bey pounded his chest and yelled to get the crowd going.

What prompted such a reaction from a normally subdued Bey?

“Excited,” Bey said. “Just trying to win the game. The fans have been with us through thick and thin every game. Was just trying to show them appreciation and trying to get the team and the flow going. Just trying to end a tough, long game.”

While Bey was showing the Smoothie King Center crowd some appreciation, Pelicans fans will no doubt continue to return the favor to the team’s Mr. Reliable.

The Vegas oddsmakers have him with the 16th-best odds. There aren’t 15 other players coming off the bench in the league more valuable to their team than Bey.

If Bey’s season continues on the path it’s going, expect him to move up. He is averaging 16.4 points and four rebounds. Of the 15 players with better Sixth Man of the Year odds, only San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper is averaging more points (18.7) than Bey.

This is the second-highest scoring average of Bey’s career, slightly behind the 17.7 ppg he averaged last season in his first year in New Orleans. Although he’s good enough to start on almost any team in the NBA, he’s just fine with the role he is playing. He’s a big reason the Pels (4-5) have one of the best second units in the league and were on a four-game winning streak before Friday night’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“He is the ultimate professional,” Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He comes in and does his work. Doesn’t say much. Gets his job done. He is the ultimate competitor.

"You can’t ask for a better model of how you should approach the game than Saddiq Bey.” 

The only thing more consistent than Bey’s play on the court is the consistency of how often he will mention God in an interview. He knows that’s what got him through the tough times when he was recovering from the torn ACL that forced him to miss all of the 2024-25 season when he was playing with the Washington Wizards. The injury happened the season before when he was playing with the Atlanta Hawks.

Now in his second season with the Pelicans, he’s dependable and a fan favorite. Good things tend to happen when he checks into the game.

While his productivity says he’s one of the better sixth men in the league, you probably won’t get Bey to say it about himself. Here was his response when asked whether he is one of the league’s best sixth men:

“I’m confident in myself,” Bey said. “God has instilled a lot in me. Taught me a lot. Gave me a lot of wisdom of the things to use. I just feel like whenever my opportunity comes, I just try to be the best version of myself every day and hope that leads to wins.”

Bey, in his seventh NBA season, has played in just one playoff series. He’d like nothing more than to get back to the postseason. He knows that can only been done collectively, and being unselfish is important to him.

“I’ve been in it long enough to know when to pick my spots,” Bey said. “If other people have got it going, let them go. I try to insert my dominance when needed.”

Bey is second on the team in scoring behind Zion Williamson, but he also brings physicality on both ends of the court. On defense, he’s able to guard multiple positions.

Although he’s not in the starting lineup, he makes sure he’s ready long before tipoff. Right before pregame introductions while his teammates are hyping themselves up, Bey is under the basket by himself doing push-ups and then briefly meditating.

It’s what you expect from a guy who arrives to the arena with that briefcase. Last season, he brought a lunch pail to games. What he brings to the arena may have changed, but what he brings once he steps on the court never does.

“It’s still business as usual,” Bey said. “Always business.”