Why Denver Nuggets should sign Torrey Craig

The case for the Denver Nuggets to sign Torrey Craig, who has been playing well for the Nuggets in Las Vegas Summer League.

Most Denver Nuggets fans had probably never heard of Torrey Craig before this weekend, but his performance at Las Vegas Summer League may make him become a household name in Denver. Craig has turned some heads with his performance on both ends of the court. The athletic 6’6″ wing was known as a defender while playing overseas, but has shown great ability on the offensive end of the court so far at summer league.

It’s hard to take to much stock out of summer league, but Craig has really given himself a strong case to stick with the Nuggets long term. After attedning USC Upstate for four seasons and going undrafted in 2014, Craig has played the last three seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL), a league in Australia and New Zealand. Craig was named MVP of the league in 2015 after averaging 20.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. In Craig’s MVP season he had a game where he recorded 41 points, showing the obvious offensive potential he posseses.

If the Nuggets were to sign Torrey Craig, they would most certainly be signing him for his work on the defensive end of the court. Craig was named NBL Best Defensive Player in 2017 and is regarded as one of the best defenders overseas. Craig is able to switch onto all five positions on the floor and has often been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player for the Nuggets in summer league.

Craig’s length and quick feet are what really give him an advantage on the defensive end of the court, where he is able to do a great job contesting shots, staying in front of his man, and forcing turnovers.

Craig has had a great summer league for the Nuggets and has made a major impact in all five games that he’s played. His best game came against the Houston Rockets in the first game of bracket play where he scored 27 points, collected 11 rebounds and swatted three shots. Craig was the Nuggets’ leading scorer and scored the last five points of the game for them, which included a clutch and-one layup to clinch the win for the Nuggets.

One way the Nuggets could sign Craig is by way of the NBA’s new two-way contract. The two-way contract allows NBA roster’s to grow from 15 players to 17 and allows players to make an NBA salary when on the NBA team and a G-League salary when on the G-League squad. Players will only be able to spend a maximum of 45 days on the NBA roster if they are signed to a two-way contract.

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Craig would be a prime candidate for one of the Nuggets two-way contracts. But with the way Craig has been playing, the Nuggets may want to sign him outright. They have plenty of depth at the power forward position, but are light in depth at small forward. Depending on how the team views Juancho Hernangomez, Craig would most likely be the backup small forward if signed and would have a good chance of being in the rotation to start the season.

Since Craig is still unproven at the NBA level he will more than likely come cheap, which would be perfect for the Nuggets since their salary cap in so tight (only $1.94 million in space). The Nuggets would still need to consolidate the roster in order to sign Craig, but he might be the defender that they’ve been looking for.

Craig could be the lock-down wing that Denver needs off the bench and he would even have the chance to start in cases where the team may need him to guard a challenging scorer. The upside he would bring on the offensive end of the court would be an added bonus to signing him as well.

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Craig earned his first start of summer league against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and impressed again, tallying 14 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Denver have one more game as they’ll take on the New Orleans Pelicans Friday at 6:00 PM MST in the consolation bracket. Look for Craig to have another impact performance and give one more strong impression to the organization with hopes of becoming a part of the team this coming season.