Torrey Craig’s path to his first start in the National Basketball Association is nearly unbelievable. After all, how many people can say they went from playing teams in Mackay, Ipswich and Cairns to signing an NBA contract 15 days later.
As a member of the Gold Coast Rollers, Torrey Craig dropped 32 points on the Cairns Marlins on June 24th and then put pen to paper on an NBA deal with the Denver Nuggets on July 19th.
That’s right, he went from playing alongside Dwayne Vale, Thalo Green and Scott McGregor, guys with their NBL careers behind them, to Nikola Jokic, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler, who were paid a combined $26 million to play in the best basketball league in the world this year in a mere 25 days.
To fully explain how inconceivable Craig’s path to the NBA has been, the story has to start all the way back at the beginning.
Craig’s basketball career started at Great Falls High School in South Carolina where he was named Player of the Year in his senior season before heading off to the University of South Carolina Upstate, a small school of 6,000 students that had produced only one player who had played in the NBA (Mike Gibson).
Craig put up over 2,000 points as a USC Upstate Spartan, where he was a starter during all four years of his stay. He finished as one of the Spartans greatest players, ranked second all-time in points scored (2,128), first in rebounds (944), fifth in blocked shots (101), 11th in steals (138) and first in three-point field goals (297).
Workouts with NBA teams after his college career didn’t go the way he planned and he was overlooked by all 30 teams in the 2014 NBA draft. On the other side of the world the Cairns Taipans had recently lost Clint Stiendl to the Townsville Crocodiles and 23-year-old Craig seemed to be the perfect replacement at small forward.
“I worked out with the Minnesota Timberwolves and thought I did great, but being from a small school I think you don’t get the same treatment as the guys from the bigger schools,” he said.
“But I have an opportunity to prove myself now and I want to make the best of it.” Craig said on signing with the Taipans.
Craig spent two years with the Cairns Taipans from 2014-2016 where he played off the bench and seemed to be proving all the NBA scouts who doubted his talent to be correct. In 2015 Craig was approached by New Zealand Wellington Saints and offered him an import spot during the NBL off-season. It was in the “Land of the long, white cloud” where Craig began to emerge as a legitimate NBA prospect.
Craig averaged 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game over 17 games n New Zealand and came away with the leagues Most Valuable Player award. He would return in 2016 to lead the team’s ninth championship in 17 years.
Craig realised from his time in New Zealand he needed a change, a new structure and role to showcase his all-round game, particularly on offence and he signed with the Brisbane Bullets in 2016. He had his best season as a pro for the Bullets, averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game and walking away with the NBL’s Best Defensive Player award in the process.
Craig, had signed a three-year deal with Brisbane and had planned to spend the off-season playing with the Gold Coast Rollers, a nearby team playing in Queensland’s state league (the Queensland Basketball League) in 2017 where he played 10 games alongside retired NBL stars and up and coming Aussie talent. In the second-tier league, Craig put up ridiculous numbers, like those you’d see in a game of NBA Jam ( 28.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game) when an invitation to play for the Denver Nuggets Summer League team arrived.
At the time Craig was not entirely sure he wanted to take up the Nuggets offer. As great as a summer league spot was it could potentially have hurt his international career.
“I just wasn’t sure that if I came to Summer League if I would get a lot of minutes or sit on the bench, and that’s why I kinda took a long time to decide,” Craig said back during training camp. “I knew if I got an opportunity to play that I would be able to showcase what I can do and I was able to do that.”
Not only did Craig showcase what he could do, but he ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 Summer League. In Las Vegas Craig had a solid performance, he averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 6 games, but it was his 27-point, 11-rebound performance, including the game-winning basket, against the Houston Rockets which had Nuggets front office staff drafting up a contract.
“When it comes to Torrey — he is great. I can’t ask for anything more. He is long. He is active. He kept guys in front of him. He hit some big shots. He made plays and rebounded.” said Micah Nori, coach of the Nuggets Summer League squad.
Craig was offered a two-way contract allowing him to be a part of the Nuggets NBA team while also providing the opportunity develop his game in the G-League. With the Nuggets having only one small forward on the roster at that time (Wilson Chandler) it was thought it was just a matter of when, not if that the team would call on Craig to provide some solid minutes at the three spot.
“I knew that if I got an opportunity, I knew what was going to happen,” Craig said confidently in Boulder, Colorado during the Nuggets’ training camp.
Craig proceeded to set the G-League on fire for the Sioux Falls SkyForce. He is currently averaging 25.2 points (3rd in the G-League) and filling out the stats sheet with 8.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and two blocks in 37 minutes a game while shooting an impressive 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point line.
Almost six months after signing with the Nuggets, Torrey was able to fulfil his dream of playing in the NBA. With Wilson Chandler having back issues and Will Barton needed to help provide some bench punch at guard, you could say it was via default. Denver was short on small forwards, especially ones who could make an impact on the defensive end, so Craig was basically the only move they could make.
That didn’t matter, this was just another small oppourtunity like Australia was, like Summer League was and like the two-way deal was to prove people he could play at the highest level in the world. Torrey was called off the bench by Nuggets coach Michael Malone during the fourth quarter against Utah.
“It was special,” said Craig after the game. “It was something you dream of as a kid, try to get your first experience in the NBA, and tonight was mine.”
Craig logged a total of six minutes and managed to get his name on the stat sheet with one defensive rebound. It was a modest debut, but enough for the Nuggets to ask Torrey to remain with the team for their game against Chicago… but then radio silence.
Torrey didn’t touch the court against the Bulls and was sent back to G-League. It was a bitter pill to take, so close, yet so far to his dream of being an NBA player. Imagine having to live your dream for six minutes and then wonder if you’ll ever get to reach this level again.
Then while Craig was with the SkyForce in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (pop: 64,579) he received a late night phone call saying that Denver needed him in a Nuggets’ uniform to face the Pelicans.
Craig wasted no time packing his things and ordering himself an Uber to make it to the airport for a 4.30am check in.
While Torrey participated in that mornings shoot around he was told he would be starting the game. When asked about his nerves going into the game, Craig shook it off.
“You get anxious,” he said “You get excited, but not really nervous. So I feel like I am well-prepared and ready to play.”
Having had to overcome so many challenges before this one must have seemed like a cakewalk. So after a quick two hour power nap, Torrey made his way back to the Pepsi Center for the game and after a four-hour flight and minimal sleep, Craig was tossed in the starting lineup.
He wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by and made sure he impacted the game in as many ways as possible. He contributed six points, four rebounds, four assists a steal and two blocks. One of those blocks coming in the games final minutes to send the Nuggets into overtime where they would come away victorious with a six point win.
“It was a surreal moment, but I was excited at the same time,” Craig said in front of his locker at the Pepsi Center after securing the win over the Pelicans. “I was trying to prepare myself the best I can with the short turnaround. I prepared as fast as I could and learned as much as I could on the scouting report and got ready for the game. I just tried to use my length and size to contest the shot and I was able to get a piece of it. I was happy I was able to get a piece of it to send it to overtime.”
On the back of his positive attitude and tireless work ethic, Craig has already earned the trust of Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who didn’t hesitate to put him on the floor during the games most crucial moments.
“That guy — you guys have to understand what he has been through in the past 24 hours,” Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone explained after Denver’s win over New Orleans. “He gets a call, he is in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, he takes an uber, he gets a 4 o’clock wake up call for a 5:15 am flight, he gets here for shoot around, I start him, he plays well, I put him in at the end of regulation, and he blocks Jrue Holiday’s shot. Welcome to the NBA.”
With high praise coming from the Nuggets coaching staff it looks like Torrey won’t be heading back to the G-League anytime soon.
“I believe in Torrey. I said it in Boulder (at training camp), I said it right now, not because of the game he had tonight but because I’ve seen it. I saw it in summer league. I saw it in Atlanta with our mini-camp. I saw it in our gym all through September. Torrey Craig is an NBA player. I’ve been in the league a long time. My thinking on it was really simple…45 days (with the NBA team), throw him out there. Let’s see if he is what I think he is. And he is.”
It is becoming very well known that Craig is far too talented for the G-League and that he has a definite future in the NBA. Which poses the question Malone will have to find an answer for… how to get Craig more playing time.
“That kid is an NBA player,” Malone exclaimed. “I believe in him and I think we are going to see more and more great things from Torrey Craig going forward.”