Before the Finals between the Bucks and the Suns had even begun, one of them had already locked in a championship ring, and that was Torrey Craig from the Suns.
On March 19, the Suns and bucks completed a deal, exchanging some cash and trade exceptions for Torry Craig from the Bucks.
According to follow-up reports, part of the cash is $110,000, which is the minimum amount of cash sent in the regulations, so you should understand why James Jones was elected general manager of the year this year.
Speaking of Craig, it's a not-too-unfamiliar name, and fans who watch more Nuggets will be very familiar with this person. He is good at defending and converting offense, and has a three-pointer above the level of one hand.
In the first two years of the playoffs, Craig has been an important rotation for the Nuggets, but last offseason, the Nuggets unexpectedly withdrew Craig's qualification offer to make him a free agent, and eventually Craig went to the Bucks.
Craig's tactical standing at the Bucks wasn't low at first, but after injuring his nose in his third game for the Bucks, he underwent an operation that kept him off the court for nearly a month.
He fell out of the Bucks' rotation and didn't play much, and in order to make room for Tucker, the Bucks sent Craig to the Suns almost in a free way, and then met again in the Finals.
When the Bucks informed Craig that he had been traded to the Suns, Craig's reaction was: That couldn't have been better. Because the Suns were also one of the teams Craig wanted to go to last year, but ended up missing out.
The Suns needed Craig to play immediately, as the team suffered from serious injuries, Claude and Johnson both had injury problems, nadir underwent knee surgery, leaving Craig with little time to familiarize himself with the new team.
Craig learned about the Suns' tactical play on a flight to Phoenix, which is nothing new to him. During his time with the Nuggets, Craig often did this.
Craig's NBA career has not been smooth, graduating from college in 2014 and spending four years in college as the team's number one scorer. He ran and lost the election to play in Australia's NBL League.
During his three seasons in Australia, Craig became the best defensive player and the fastest improving player, was named to the best team second team, and then received a two-way contract invitation from the Nuggets, and Craig returned.
As a two-way contract player, Craig can only spend up to 45 training/game days a season with the Nuggets. The Nuggets generally don't let Craig practice with the team, and he needs to run constantly for the game, so that the team can maximize his 45 days.
Craig's mental attributes quickly earned him an NBA contract where he could go out of his way to grab those 50% chance balls and then leave all sorts of bruises on his body.
His defense has received a lot of praise and has become the foundation of his foothold in the NBA. In his words: "If I can only play 15 minutes in a game, then I have to use up all my strength within 15 points." ”
While playing against the Nets on April 25, Craig delivered his season-best performance, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. In the first round against the Lakers, Craig once stood in the position of five small centers to defend Gasol.
The second round of the Nuggets was a battle between Craig and the old master, and Craig unreservedly revealed to the Suns the tactical play of his old club and the habits of his old teammates, helping the Suns directly sweep the Nuggets.
In the final game of the Western Conference Finals, Craig came off the bench for 31 minutes, and although he only scored 3 points, he devoted most of his energy to defending, ensuring that he played every minute of the game to the maximum value.
Players like Craig are really naturally fit to play in the playoffs, and the Bucks gave up on him only because tucker was more suitable. Now Craig is about to stand in the ring of the Finals, looking forward to the battle that will make him famous overnight.