Torrey Craig shines in G League debut

It was just preseason, but Torrey Craig looks like he’ll post big numbers in the G League this year for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

In his debut, Craig scored 17 points on 6-10 shooting and went 2-3 from three-point range in just 21 minutes. Sioux Falls beat the Iowa Wolves 107-104. Craig also grabbed five rebounds, finished with one steal and was a +10 off the bench.

Since the Nuggets are without a G League affiliate, Denver assigned Craig to Sioux Falls using the flex assignment rule. Denver sent No. 24 overall pick Tyler Lydon and second-rounder Monte Morris to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers last week as well.

Denver signed both Craig and Morris to two-way contracts this summer which allow players to spend a maximum of 45 days with their NBA team throughout the season. Two-way contracts are new to the league this year and were written into the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement that was agreed to last year.

The 45-day clock starts ticking on the first day of G-League training camp and ends on the last day of the G-League season. Last year, the G-League regular season ended on April 1 while the NBA season lasted through April 12. In that scenario, those final 11 days of the NBA season would not count towards a two-way players’ 45-day maximum.

Players signed to two-way contracts can earn a maximum of roughly $275,000. During their time in the NBA, two-way players earn 1/170 of the minimum rookie contract per day and if a player does not spend any time with their NBA club, they’ll earn $75,000. Also, a two-way player cannot be a part of an NBA team’s playoff roster. If a team wants one of their two-way players on their playoff roster, they can convert their two-way contract to a regular NBA deal. Of course, that team would need to have an open roster spot for that player.

The Nuggets signed the Craig to a contract after a standout performance at the NBA’s Summer League in July where the 6-foot-6 forward showed off a versatile skill-set that included a capable three-point shot and NBA-level defense. The 26-year-old’s breakout performance came against the Houston Rockets when Craig scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. Last season, Craig was named the Most Valuable Player of the New Zealand Basketball League.

“I’ll tell you right now, Torrey Craig is a player,” Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone said at training camp. “He isn’t a two-way (contract) player, that’s what he is right now, but, make no mistake, he is an NBA player.”

The G League’s preseason runs through Nov. 1 with the regular season tipping off Nov. 3. Rio Grande Valley opens their season Nov. 3 against the Oklahoma City Blue while the Skyforce play the Memphis Hustle on Nov. 4.