Suns' Torrey Craig Taking Advantage of Starting Opportunity

After replacing an injured Cam Johnson in the starting lineup, Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig has showed his worth.

Phoenix Suns PF Torrey Craig is taking advantage of every opportunity presented.

In replacement for the injured Cam Johnson, Craig fit perfectly in the Suns starting lineup on Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Craig has had two separate stints with the Suns. He was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Suns on March 18, 2021. Craig signed a two-year contract with the Indiana Pacers during the 2021 offseason but was traded to the Suns once again on Feb. 10.

Before Saturday night's game, Craig had a decent role off the bench but averaged less than 20 minutes per night. That all changed when it was announced that Johnson suffered a torn meniscus and would be out for the foreseeable future.

Craig replaced Johnson just five minutes into action on Friday and put up eight points with six rebounds in 23 minutes. 

In Craig's first game in the starting lineup this season, he had five points, four assists and five rebounds. While the box score may not be eye-popping, Craig’s impact on the game went beyond just the numbers.

“It’s been good. He’s been thrown into a number of situations with us and I thought his energy tonight was great,” head coach Monty Williams said. 

“Defensively, he made it very tough on Jerami (Grant) at times and then he had the energy and aware with all, to get back to a shifting position when Jerami didn’t have the ball. I thought he was really good tonight and he’s just been a maniac attacking the glass this year and when he’s knocking down his three-point shot from the corner, it just adds to what he brings to the table every night.”

The Suns were +22 while Craig was on the floor, which was the best plus/minus of any player between the Suns and Blazers. 

Craig is clearly not a selfish player. He does not need the ball in his hands in his defensively minded role while contributing on the offensive side of the ball if necessary.

“He defends at a high level. He is giving Mikal (Bridges) some breaks on (Jerami) Grant, they switched it up a bit,” Suns shooting guard Devin Booker said. “Making open shots, he has made a few corner threes’ yesterday and today.”

Craig was not the only Suns player to step up after Johnson's injury. Power forward Dario Saric played a major role for the Suns off the bench putting up nine points, one assist and nine rebounds. 

Saric was second in minutes played off the bench with 21 and his nine rebounds led all Suns players.

With a limited amount of power forwards on the roster, both Craig and Saric stepped up in big ways. One game is nice, but the two forwards will have to continue to perform at a high level until Johnson is capable of returning from injury.

If we learned anything from Friday nights game however, Craig is more than ready to take on the challenge. 

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