I’m irrationally high on Torrey Craig. Five months ago, when the Denver Nuggets added him to the team’s summer league roster I had no idea who he was. I asked around and consistently heard from people that he was a player to watch. Turns out they were all right! He was awesome at summer league, perhaps even the team’s best player. He played the role of hustle guy and defensive stopper but unlike most defensive minded guys, Craig could also create offense.
Last night, Craig made his season debut for the Sioux Falls SkyForce and he already looks like a guy that is too good for the minor leagues. He scored 24 points on 8-17 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds, handed out 6 assists, added 5 steals, and 4 blocked shots. That’s one block shy of a “5×5,” the most rare and perhaps most impressive box score feat. Craig did everything.
It’s hard to gauge how much G-League statistics translate to the actual NBA but it’s certainly encouraging that the Nuggets’ long-shot prospect has looked to be too good for summer league and (possibly) too good for the G-League. Check out the highlights below. The full game is archived online right here. And tomorrow night’s SkyForce game will be on ESPNU. The Nuggets don’t play so this is the next best thing. I’m warning you right now, if Craig has a breakout game for the Nuggets this season we’re all going to have to do shoeys.
