It looks like the Denver Nuggets will gain additional wing depth heading into their Friday night matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.
According to a source, Mile High Sports has learned that Denver Nuggets’ two-way contract player Torrey Craig has left the Sioux Falls SkyForce of the G-League and has joined the Nuggets’ roster in time to go through shootaround Friday morning before taking on the Pelicans.
Craig’s call-up could not come at a better time. The Nuggets have been dealing with a rash of injuries beyond just Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap since mid-November. To end the month of November, Wilson Chandler missed four of six games with lower back soreness. Now that Chandler is back and has played six consecutive games, it is now Will Barton who has been dealing with a lower back issue.
Barton seemed to have tweaked his back against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and he proceeded to miss the following game when the Nuggets traveled to Boston to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics. Barton is now considered questionable with a lower back contusion against the Pelicans on Friday night and there has been no further update on the extent of his injury.
Add in the struggles of Juancho Hernangomez since returning from mononucleosis and the Nuggets are now searching for answers at small forward. Bringing up Craig — a player that the front office and coaching staff really like according to information gathered by Mile High Sports — not only rewards Craig for his fantastic play in the G-League but also allows the Nuggets to take some pressure off of Chandler to play big minutes if Barton is not able to play Friday night.
Craig has been one of the premier players in the G-League so far this season. He is putting up freakish numbers night in and night out as he is averaging 25.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and two blocks in 37 minutes a game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point distance for the SkyForce.
Whether or not Craig will get any substantial minutes is yet to be seen, but — considering that Hernangomez has been nearly unplayable for most of the season — Barton could be out with a lower back contusion, and Chandler is the only other small forward on the roster. The Nuggets may need to call on Craig for critical minutes on Friday night against the Pelicans and — if his G-League resume is anything to put stock in — Craig seems ready for the challenge.
