On Thursday, the Celtics added their first non-draft player to their title-winning team by signing free agent forward Torrey Craig.
Craig, an experienced NBA player, is set to add a fresh dynamic to the latter part of Boston’s bench, which previously consisted mainly of younger, less seasoned players. The 6-foot-5 forward announced on his Instagram story that he will don jersey number 12 for the Celtics.
What might the Celtics gain from this signing after the trade deadline? Here’s an examination of Craig’s background:
Experience
Torrey Craig, now 34, is entering his eighth season in the NBA, and Boston marks his sixth team, excluding his earlier stints in Australia and New Zealand. Since his NBA debut with Denver in 2017, he’s played in 441 games, starting 168, across teams including Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indiana, and Chicago.
Craig has substantial playoff experience, with 75 games under his belt, his most recent participation being with the Suns in 2023. He was also on the Phoenix team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2020-21. He was waived by the Bulls just this Monday.
This contrasts significantly with Boston’s other bench players — second-year pro Jordan Walsh, rookie Baylor Scheierman, two-way player Drew Peterson, and the recently traded Jaden Springer — who have yet to prove they’re ready for consistent NBA action. Craig should provide a dependable wing option behind stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Sam Hauser, particularly on nights when key players are out.
The Celtics have faced numerous games this season where not all their main rotation players (Tatum, Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, and Hauser) were available, having all nine together for fewer than a quarter of their 52 games.
Craig is expected to take on a role akin to what Oshae Brissett did last season (55 games, averaging 11.5 minutes per game), allowing younger players like Walsh, Scheierman, and Peterson to continue their development.
Defense
Torrey Craig is primarily recognized for his tenacious and adaptable defense. According to Cleaning The Glass, he’s been in the 93rd percentile or higher for shot-blocking percentage at his position in four out of his seven full NBA seasons. He’s also proven to be a capable rebounder on both offense and defense, ranking in the 71st percentile for defensive rebounds with Chicago last season and the 88th percentile for offensive rebounds.
Last season, opponents shot over 40% from three-point range when Craig was the closest defender, as per NBA player tracking data. However, this season, that figure dropped to 33.3%, although this is based on a limited nine-game sample size. In the 2022-23 and 2021-22 seasons, opponents shot 34.8% and 33.6% respectively with Craig defending.
Perimeter shooting
Torrey Craig isn’t known for filling up the stat sheet, with career averages of 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. His career 3-point shooting percentage of 35.5% is average, but he’s shown improvement in his long-range game in recent years while taking more shots from deep. In the 2022-23 season, he hit 39.5% of his threes (3.2 attempts per game), and last season, he shot 39.2% (2.9 attempts per game). This season, in his nine games with the Bulls, he was even more effective, making 42.9% of his three-point attempts (15-for-35).
In his last game before being waived, Craig had an impressive performance, going 5-for-7 from three-point range and scoring a season-high 18 points in an overtime victory against Charlotte. He also made 3 out of 5 three-pointers in a November 29 defeat to Boston.
Injury concerns
Torrey Craig’s last game with Chicago was over a month ago on December 30. He’s been out since then due to an ankle sprain, which the Celtics will assess during his physical examination before their Saturday game against the New York Knicks, as reported by Jared Weiss from The Athletic. This season, before his release, Craig only played in back-to-back games twice (though he was available but did not play in some of those games). He also had knee and foot problems last season.
Therefore, staying healthy will be crucial for Craig as he starts his journey with the Celtics. He will be the third-oldest player on the team, only younger than Al Horford (38) and Jrue Holiday (34).
