Though the 28-year-old in his second NBA season has played well all year, he didn’t play for the Denver Nuggets against Dallas. Could he have a lot more DNP’s in his future?
Torrey Craig has done just about everything the Denver Nuggets have asked of him this season.
In just his second year in the NBA after spending extended time in the G-League, Craig is averaging 6 points and 3.9 rebounds in just over 22 minutes per game this season while serving as one of the Nuggets best defenders.
But Isaiah Thomas’s return creates a log jam on the Nuggets bench — regardless of position. And with Craig serving as the odd man out against Dallas, things aren’t looking great for the South Carolina Upstate alumnus.
Before Friday, Craig’s last DNP was Nov. 11. Since then, he’d appeared in every game, failing to break 20 minutes just six times.
Still, Craig seems like a prime candidate to find himself spending more time on the bench.
Trey Lyles was already seeing less and less minutes before going down with a hamstring injury — and will most likely fall out of the rotation entirely after returning.
Juancho Hernangomez picked up just his third DNP of the season right before the break, failing to get on the floor against the Kings. Hernangomez did play almost 10 minutes against the Mavericks — though that’s down from the over 22 he is averaging this season.
Part of the reason Craig could be joining them is coach Michael Malone’s dedication to playing smaller. The Nuggets ran with a three-guard lineup more than once against Dallas, with fairly good results.
“We can run. We can get up and down the floor,” Jamal Murray said of the Nuggets small ball lineup after the win over the Mavericks. “We have versatile we can size to switch. W’ere just ballers and hoopers and we read each other. We read each other very well.”
Craig has shown his ability to play the stretch 4 on occasion, but thrives as the Nuggets only true small forward. But Will Barton, Gary Harris and Malik Beasley have shown they’re more than capable of playing that spot — and all three are much bigger offensive threats than Craig.
Craig still holds a lot of value to the Nuggets thanks to his energy and defense. But moving forward he may only start seeing time when the matchup calls for it.