Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Torrey Craig’s one-year minimum deal
By Dalton Sell
What is Torrey Craig’s potential role on the Milwaukee Bucks?
Previously discussing that defensive tenacity Craig possesses, he is going to have his work cut out for him on the Bucks.
Craig is coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals with the Denver Nuggets, where he took on some tough defensive assignments along the way. Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and LeBron James are the most prominent names Craig matched up against in 19 playoff games this year, never having backed down from the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best players. Sound familiar?
It should because that is a role that Wesley Matthews took on defensively for the Bucks throughout the 2019-20 season. Matthews bolstered Milwaukee’s defensive excellence this season as he alleviated pressure off of the team’s other stars. After Matthews signed with the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of free agency, the Bucks needed a replacement, and Torrey Craig fit the bill.
The 29-year-old does not bring much to the table offensively for the Bucks, particularly from 3-point range. Craig is just a 32.0 percent shooter on 2.2 attempts per game for his career, meaning Milwaukee will likely not rely on his ability to hit shots from downtown anytime soon. His free-throw shooting is nothing to rave about either, just a 66.0 percent shooter from the charity stripe in his career.
However, his defensive presence will keep him on the floor late in games, likely guard one of the opposing team’s best players as the clock winds down. A closing lineup of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Torrey Craig, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez works strongly in Milwaukee’s favor defensively and has the potential to be nightmarish for opponents.