Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know veteran forward Torrey Craig
By Dalton Sell
Examining Torrey Craig’s NBA career and stint with the Denver Nuggets
As Craig went on to reach towering heights in Australia, his play had certainly caught the attention of NBA teams, including the Nuggets.
But Craig didn’t just show up to Las Vegas with something to prove. Craig very much proved his abilities during that run in Vegas, eventually leading to him landing a two-way contract from the Nuggets by the end of that year’s Summer League.
That set in quite a whirlwind year for Craig. While in the G League, Craig played a starring role while on assignment with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate. It was with the Nuggets where Craig’s stout defending caught the attention of head coach Mike Malone and led to Craig playing a more prominent role for the Nuggets than anyone would have envisioned heading into the year.
After making 39 appearances with the Nuggets that season as they looked to make good on the 45 days they had him in the mix, Craig garnered a two-year, $4 million contract in the summer of 2018 to stay in Denver.
With that security in hand, Craig continued to establish himself as one of the most versatile and physical defenders in the league. His importance to the Nuggets proved more vital, especially as they returned to the postseason in the 2018-19 campaign. Craig went on to average 6.6 points as well as 5.1 rebounds and shot 47.2 percent from three over 14 appearances and 11 starts during their run that year.
Craig’s role didn’t diminish throughout the Nuggets’ highly successful 2019-20 season, a year in which saw them miraculously advance to the Western Conference Finals where they fell to the eventual NBA champions in the Los Angeles Lakers. He proved mighty important in taking on premier defensive assignments over that playoff run, having guarded the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Donovan Mitchell.
For all of those reasons, it seemed easy to assume that the Nuggets would retain the restricted free agent after tendering his $2.5 million qualifying offer. That move was short-lived as the Nuggets pulled Craig’s qualifying offer on the first full day of free agency, which eventually paved the way for the Bucks to snatch him up.