It was announced this morning that the Denver Nuggets are bringing Torrey Craig up from the G league and will suit up against Joe Ingles and the Utah Jazz today.
Two-Way player Torrey Craig has been transferred from Sioux Falls back to the Nuggets and will be with the team for tonight’s game at the Utah Jazz. pic.twitter.com/5VQARcUnxq
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 28, 2017
Denver signed Craig to a Two-Way player deal this season while Craig was a member of the Brisbane Bullets NBL team. Craig is contracted to the Nuggets but so far has spent all of his time playing for the teams development program, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Craig’s call up comes on the back of some impressive performances at both ends of the court for the Skyforce.
Craig has been compiling a very impressive highlight package in the G League while putting up 25.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shooting 39% from three-point range.
It has been noted by G league coaches that due to Craig’s time playing as a professional in Australia he has shown a level of leadership and professionalism not common amongst the normal Summer League contingent. An attitude which has been rewarded with a chance to show he belongs in the NBA.
Craig is on a two-way contract, as the Nuggets’ press release indicates. That means he is limited to spending 45 days with the Nuggets between the start and finish of the G League season. Tonight would be his first day of those 45, and Denver will no doubt shuttle him back and forth between the G League and the active roster in order to keep him available for as many games as possible before they would have to clear a 15-man spot to actually sign him.
With Wilson Chandler having back issues and Will Barton needed to help provide some bench punch at guard, however, Denver is short on small forwards, especially defensive ones. Juancho Hernangomez can fill that spot for some minutes, but Craig’s availability can help alleviate the roster crunch that comes from having so many power forwards and so few small forward options.
Whether or not he plays it’s good to see Craig getting rewarded for his excellent G League performances.
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.
