Torrey Craig and the Denver Nuggets have an NBA Finals berth in sight. Not long ago, the swingman was playing in New Zealand. Photo / Getty
Torrey Craig and the Denver Nuggets have an NBA Finals berth in sight. Not long ago, the swingman was playing in New Zealand. Photo / Getty
Thanks to one of the NBA's many feel-good stories in recent years, there will be a New Zealand presence in the 2020 Western Conference finals.
That could very well be a stretch of the term 'presence', nevertheless it comes in the form of a former New Zealand NBL MVP andtitle winner, and someone whose professional start came down under.
Dynamic wing Torrey Craig will run out in his typical role off the bench for the Denver Nuggets against the Los Angeles Lakers in their best of seven series, which begins tomorrow. The winner will get to face either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat in the NBA finals.
An extensive use of hyperbole likely complements any discussion involving how the Nuggets got to where they are now. They etched their names in the record books with back-to-back series wins over the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, after erasing 3-1 deficits.
Craig has been in the thick of it as a key contributor off the bench for Denver, averaging 21.4 minutes per game in the postseason so far. His numbers are far from impressive on the surface, with 4.9 points per game and shooting 42.6 per cent a game, but the South Carolina native is not known for his scoring. He is well-versed in defence, looked on to be a stifler while bringing toughness in the rebounding battle.
They are skills that not only helped him snag his first contract in the NBA in 2017, but were on display in the Australian and New Zealand NBL. After playing for USC Upstate for four years in college, Craig went undrafted in 2014 and searched offshore for his first opportunity post education.
He signed with the Cairns Taipans, and after his first season in Northern Queensland, made good use of his time off by joining the Wellington Saints for the 2015 New Zealand domestic campaign.
Craig quickly made his mark, winning the league MVP, averaging 20.4 points and 9.1 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game. While the Saints lost to the Southland Sharks in the decider, they went one better a year later, with Craig amassing another 20-plus scoring season and a second consecutive All-NBL first team honour.
Torrey Craig (left) celebrates winning the 2016 New Zealand NBL title with the Wellington Saints. Photo / Photosport
He made an impact in New Zealand, as did the country on him. The importance of New Zealand to Craig was enforced after last year's Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15. The now 29-year-old paid his respects to the victims with the words 'Pray for Christchurch NZ' written on the soles of his shoes during an NBA game.
Following on from his jumps between Cairns and Wellington, and stints playing in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Craig's big break came in 2017 when he was signed to a two-way contract with the Nuggets. In 39 games that season he posted 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game, enough to entice the team to lock him down permanently for the next two years.
Fast forward to September 2020, an unfamiliar time for NBA players to be concentrating on competition, and Denver are one series win away from the big dance, with a date against arguably the league's most storied franchise.
Craig could very well be given the toughest of all tasks as well, if he finds himself on the court at the same time as the Lakers talisman, LeBron James. Craig's versatility at 6'7" and 100 kilograms makes him an ideal on-ball defender to guard James, who can theoretically, if need be, play all five positions.
Fair to say, it has been a long road since playing on Wellington's hardwoods.
After the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers were both embarrassingly bounced out of the second round, little stands in front of the Lakers christening their first playoff appearance in seven years with a chip. The Celtics, Heat and Nuggets have their own methods of on-court success, but neither has advertised the championship pedigree the Lakers have this season.
It will thus be a steep, uphill battle for Craig and his teammates to overcome the West's top seed, but the same was said in their earlier playoff series', where they clutched victory from the jaws of defeat. Who's to say that cannot happen again?
