After plying his trade with the Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets in the NBL for three seasons Torrey Craig took a risk, and a huge paycut to become the Denver Nuggets first two-way player. Twelve months later Craig will now sign a two-year deal with the team worth $4.4 million with no options.
Congratulations to former #USCUpstate standout @TCraig_23 on signing a two-year contract with the Denver Nuggets! #UpstateStrong pic.twitter.com/my8bECGVCn
— USC Upstate Men’s Basketball (@UpstateMB) July 9, 2018
Craig signed a two-way deal in 2017 to play with the team’s G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce with no guarantee of even being invited to Denver Nuggets training’s but Craig’s hard work, penchant for playing tough defence and a couple of timely injuries forced the hand of Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone to give him an opportunity.
Craig debuted for the Nuggets in November against Utah and went scoreless in six minutes of game time. Craig was immediately sent back to Sioux Falls after the game but his tenacity at training had done enough to impress Coach Malone.
“Torrey Craig is a player, guys. Last night he might have been the Bud Light Player of the Game” for last night’s practice/scrimmage, said Malone after Craig’s debut.
One month later, Malone again reached out to Craig to provide some defence at the injury depleted small forward position in a match up against New Orleans. Craig’s effectiveness surprised many, In 14 minutes he scored 6 points and the Nuggets defeated the Pelicans. Malone rewarded Craig with 30 minutes in the next game and Torrey repaid the favour with a 14 point effort.
The 27 year old would go to played the remainder of the Nuggets season from that point on, playing in 39 NBA games by seasons end.
Craig averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds on 16.1 minutes per game playing primarily as a defensive stopper in a rotation full of offensive-minded players. His energy, rebounding, and attention to detail defensively made him a favourite of head coach Michael Malone, and this skill set will give him an edge in earning a permanent rotation spot next season.
Twelve months ago Craig wasn’t even sure he would give the NBA a try. After winning the NBL Defensive Player of the Year award he began envisioning a long-term future Down Under. His Brisbane Bullets teammates and coach Andrej Lemanis had already begun referring to Craig as an Aussie because of the way he integrated himself into local culture, even calling his friends “mate.” Prior to the NBA Summer League Craig had decided to play for the Gold Coast Rollers, a local team in Queensland’s state competition and had even taken early steps to obtain Australian citizenship with plans to play for the Boomers, which is also coached by Lemanis.
Craig’s opportunity with the Nuggets came from a relationship he developed with former Sydney Kings coach Joe Connelly, the brother of Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly. With a thumbs-up from Joe Connelly, Craig was offered a spot on the Nuggets’ Summer League team in 2017 and the rest is now history.
“I wasn’t sure that I was going to come over,” Craig said during Summer League. “There were guys (in my hometown) that were good at basketball, but they never went anywhere… They always stayed in the same place. I always told myself I do not want to be like that.”
There were multiple games last season in which Craig had a game-winning impact. He went 5/5 from the field and 3/3 from behind the arc in his third game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He accumulated one steal and three blocks against the Los Angeles Clippers late in the season in a must-win.
It’s likely Craig could be in line for increased minutes in 2018-19 behind the newly extended Will Barton. Looking at the current Denver rotation, projected starters look like Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and Nikola Jokic.
Denver, as they did last season, don’t seem to have a solid bench rotation, nor multiple options at small forward. Before Craig signed, Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, and Juancho Hernangomez (assuming Michael Porter Jr. isn’t healthy by opening night) are the team’s projected backups. Craig’s signing provides another potential option for Malone to rotate in there to add more defense, something none of the other options provide.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
