"He gives everything he has": A two-way player is helping the Nuggets stay alive in the playoff race

DENVER — Torrey Craig’s meandering path to basketball’s highest level included stops in Australia and New Zealand. On the opposite side of the globe, Craig spent his mid-20s grinding with the goal to make it to the NBA always in the back of his mind.

A door finally opened for him when the Nuggets invited him to play in summer league. Craig has seized the opportunity in the months since then, and if Sunday’s game against Milwaukee was any indication, he’s not going to let go.

Craig stepped into the starting lineup in place of the injured Wilson Chandler and played 36 minutes. The 27-year-old scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds, four of which were on the offensive end. Craig made an impact doing the little things as the Nuggets earned a wild 128-125 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime.

“Torrey Craig, man,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He was in Australia last year. He’s helping us win games that matter.”

Denver trailed by eight with 1:06 remaining in regulation but miraculously found a way to force overtime. In the extra period, Craig made two huge plays to help his team complete the comeback. First, he drilled a corner three that pushed Denver’s lead to five. Then with 2:40 to go, Craig rebounded a Paul Millsap miss to get the Nuggets an extra possession, which they converted into two points.

“It’s just the type of player I am,” Craig said. “I just like to bring energy any way I can. Offensive rebounding just happens to be one of the things I’m good at. Try to crash every time and get a deflection. You never know what can happen.”

Craig has logged double-digit minutes in each of Denver’s last eight games. He’s received sporadic playing time this season as the Nuggets wrestled with the fact that Craig only gets 45 days of service time as a two-way player. Now that the G-League season is over, Craig has no more restrictions to deal with. He’s provided valuable minutes for the Nuggets as they’ve fought for their playoff lives.

“Life is crazy,” Craig said. “You end up in these situations. I’m pretty blessed. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”

Making the NBA was Craig’s goal since he was a boy. He thought he could accomplish it as a teenager growing up in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He held onto that belief while playing college ball at South Carolina Upstate. And he never gave up hope playing professionally on the opposite side of the earth.

Craig felt some initial reservation about playing on the Nuggets’ summer league squad. There was risk involved; if the NBA didn’t work out, it could potentially cost him money. But eventually, Craig decided it was a chance worth taking.

“I was going to leave something that was for sure for something that wasn’t,” Craig said. “That was the only issue there. But once I got here, I just knew all I had to do was go out and play my game. Play hard, play defense, play with energy and knock down shots. Just fit in wherever I can.”

Craig is filling in the gaps beautifully for the Nuggets — turning his boyhood dream into a reality by doing what others might consider uncomfortable.

“He’s got heart,” Millsap said. “I think especially his background and being undrafted and coming where he’s coming from, he’s a fighter. When he’s out there, he gives everything he has. You need a guy like that on your team for sure. We’re glad to have Torrey out there.”