BOULDER — “I knew that if I got an opportunity, I knew what was going to happen.”
Those are the words of Torrey Craig, who signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets at the conclusion of Summer League. He was oozing confidence in Las Vegas and looked the part of a NBA-caliber player. There was an aura around him that felt, well, professional, even though he had yet to take part in any NBA-level competition.
Then, he got the call from Denver.
Craig didn’t have a typical path as a professional basketball player. He was a four-year collegiate player at the University of South Carolina Upstate before taking his talents across the pond to Australia for three years before playing a single season in New Zealand.
The Nuggets had reached out to Craig and wanted him to come play for their Summer League team but Craig, who was coming off an MVP season in the New Zealand NBL, had to take time to think about if coming back to the states to play in Summer League was the right move.
“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 told BSN Denver. “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.”
Craig became a versatile, multi-tool player for the Nuggets’ Summer League squad. He was able to guard every position on the court and averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and a block in 22 minutes per game.
The 26-year-old’s true breakout performance was the game after the Nuggets shut down Juan Hernangomez for the rest of Summer League and started Craig in his place. Craig took the opportunity and ran with it scoring 27 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and registering three blocks and in the same game was able to score Denver’s last five points to secure the victory.
“The first couple games were slow but then I started picking it up and I think I had two really good games,” Craig said. “And they offered the deal to me after that.”
To say that Craig made an impression on the coaching staff based on his play at Summer League would be a vast understatement. Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone has been vocal all offseason about how much Craig impressed him and doubled down on those feelings on the third day of training camp.
“Oh, I love that kid, man. Torrey Craig is a player, guys. I’ll tell you right now, Torrey Craig is a player,” Malone exclaimed. “He isn’t a two-way (contract) player, that’s what he is right now, but, make no mistake, he is an NBA player. Last night, he may have been the Bud-Light player of the game. He was all loose balls, rebounds, defense and, a lot of times when you have a player like that, who is known as a defender, he is an offensive liability. Torrey is not an offensive liability. He shoots the three-ball very well, he moves very well without the ball which is a great asset when you are playing with the bigs that we have. Torrey has been a stud. I told him ‘don’t get a fat head.’ Keep on working and keep being the consistent player you’ve been for the past three months for us. I am a huge Torrey Craig fan.”
It isn’t just Malone noticing either. His teammates realize the tenacity that Craig brings with him every time he steps onto the court.
“A lot of energy and defense,” Will Barton told BSN Denver of Craig. “He just gives consistent effort.”
“He’s a great player. He can shoot it. He stretches the floor. He can take it off the break. He’s a great defender one-on-one or help-side. Stuff like that,” Trey Lyles said. “He’s a really athletic guard and has been playing really well.”
That’s what makes Craig so appealing, especially for the Nuggets. He understands his role. He understands what the team needs from him and does everything in his power to do so. His mentality and perspective on the game of basketball are that of a player who wants nothing more than to win and make his team better at all costs.
“I just want to do whatever I can to make the team better,” Craig explained. “Like I said, whether it’s rebounding, defending or scoring I just try to play an effective role and bring what I can to spark the team. Yesterday was a good day and I got a lot of good feedback from that so I am trying to pick up where I left off.”
Craig’s style of play makes him an ideal fit with the Nuggets. Yes, Craig is still on a two-way contract, but his ability to be a switchable defender with high-level athletic ability and an underrated scoring touch make him an interesting addition to help fill the void at small forward if need be. While Craig is allowed 45 days with the Nuggets, becasue of his two-way deal, he could also have his two-way contract reconfigured into a minimum contract if need be.
Craig knows what he needs to do so that he can continue working towards the goal of getting a full-fledged NBA contract.
“Be great at multiple things. Whether it’s defending, scoring, shooting, or just playing hard and bringing energy,” Craig said of his mindset. “Just showing that I can be a versatile player at this level. Just bring a lot of different things to the table.”
Craig is not done, is not content, and is looking to continue building himself into a quality NBA player. Nothing has stopped him to this point and he is going to continue fighting for more and more until he gets where he wants to be.
“Now that I got my foot in the door, I gotta see what else I can get out of it.”
