According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly reached an agreement with free agent guard Torrey Craig.
The Milwaukee Bucks made a handful of moves on Saturday, and they kicked off Sunday in the same manner.
First, it was ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski having reported that the team signed shooting guard Bryn Forbes on a two-year deal. Just minutes later, Woj dropped the news that the team has also signed Torrey Craig, another solid addition to their wing depth. The specifics financially of both deals remain unknown, but it’s most likely going to be on a veteran minimum deal.
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Sticking with what we know about Craig, this is a good move for Milwaukee, especially as their frantic offseason has unfolded.
Although his statistics do not jump off the page, Craig averaged 5.4 points on a .461/.326/.611 slash line, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 18.5 minutes per game in 58 appearances with the Denver Nuggets last season.
Craig’s subpar 32.6 percent 3-point shooting is not going to receive any praise anytime soon, but this is a solid addition nevertheless because of what else he brings to the table.
What makes the 29-year-old Craig such a good pickup for the Bucks is his defensive presence. At 6’7″, 221 lbs, he brings a much-needed physical mindset on that side of the floor. Craig played a substantial part in Denver’s defensive success this season, which made it a surprise when they elected not to tender his qualifying offer, which opened up the path for him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Although fans might not be too familiar with Torrey Craig, they should be ecstatic about the addition, especially because of his ability to defend the perimeter. The Bucks got an equally impactful defender at the point of attack in Jrue Holiday and now they have a versatile chess piece in Craig that they can slot up and down on the floor in the vein of Wesley Matthews after he joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
Torrey Craig’s journey to the NBA has not been all smooth sailing, as he has pushed himself to get to this point.
To best describe Craig’s rise to the league, it is best to turn to someone who is familiar with all things Denver Nuggets, that being Zach Mikash of SB Nation’s Denver Stiffs:
"“The Nuggets found Craig while he was playing in the NBL in Australia. They gave him a spot on the summer league roster which turned into a training camp invite which turned into a 2-way deal which led to a guaranteed contract to be a bench warmer which became a spot in the every day rotation. Craig earned his spot in the NBA the hard way, no doubt about it. He earned it through grit and determination…and playing really strong defense. He’ll never be the guy teams look to for the final shot in a close game, but he will be the guy they put on the opposition’s best player for the final shot in a close game.”"
Craig’s hard-nosed defensive prowess is surely the strongest facet of his game, and adding him to a team that had the league’s best defense last season is a compelling fit. How he factors into their reshaped wing rotation will be interesting to monitor as the season starts to draw closer.
The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a great start this Sunday with a pair of moves and they appear to be close to done with making more roster moves. With that, we welcome Torrey to Milwaukee in the next stop in his NBA journey.