Torrey Craig didn’t even ask for weak-side assistance. But Bruce Bowen was happy to provide it.

Craig was introduced to Bowen — a member of their NBA’s All-Defensive initial team with all the San Antonio Spurs five times by 2004-08, the godfather of their NBA’s new niche of “3-and-D” wing players — in early October, before Denver’s preseason junket against the Los Angeles Clippers. Since the Jedi master spoke, the Nuggets&rsquo wing forwards occurred mental notes when it came to pregame homework. Bowen remembered how he left cramming sessions regular, analyzing film of his upcoming mission on the eve of their eventual assembly.

“He’d go on YouTube, see men ’ tendencies, and those types of items to prepare to protect somebody,” Craig remembered. “So that he was really useful. ”

The secrets stuck. Hard. A third of the way during his second NBA season, Craig ranks fifth among Nuggets players that ’t appeared at least seven games in terms of Basketball-Reference. Com’s Defensive Rating — as in, competitor points with a marker of 107. That’s a improvement on his Defensive Rating of 112 as a newcomer, that has him tied to the leap on the roster.

“To be a great baseball player, you have to have the tools,” offered Nuggets coach Mike Malone, whose Western Conference-leading squad takes an 18-9 record to a matchup with Oklahoma City (17-9) on Friday in the Pepsi Center. “It’s desire. It’s. And Torrey understands rsquo & that;s he can leave his mark on the game: ‘I protect the other group & rsquo; s best player and can go out there and make it really tough for those men. ’”

To wit: With the 6-foot-7 Craig raising Cain on the perimeter, the Nuggets limited Memphis point guard Mike Conley this past Monday to some 5-for-14 shooting night, 2-of-8 from outside the arc, in a 105-99 win to kick off a four-game, eight-night homestand.

Up: Russell Westbrook, that — together with Craig in his grill — turned in his worst shooting point of this season on Nov. 24, the last time the Nuggets along with Thunder locked horns. The All-Star guard misfired on 11 of 12 attempts and 17 of 23 tries from the ground against Denver, a night which was high on volume but low on results.

“Yeah, I mean ” Malone continued. “He could get beat initially, be he’s got the inborn ability to get back in the play straight away. ”

So-called 3-and-D players typically aren’t even endured as cajoled. Craig was gifted with the frame to body up with forwards, the feet to keep up with the wingspan, along with bigger guards to smother the snot out. However he joked rsquo that defense didn &;t even interest him at all until his senior season in South Carolina-Upstate.

Credit NBA scouts together with the assist on that one. Along with a not-so-gentle prod to the backside.

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“They informed me‘We know rdquo; & you are able to score, & rsquo; Craig remembered. “& & lsquo;There are a lot of players who can score. But should you would like to make it to the next level, you’re going to have to play defense. ’”

The reversal of mind — and a shift in effort — first started demonstrating dividends Down Under: Craig was named the top defensive player in Australia’s National Basketball League in 2016-17 while a member of the Brisbane Bullets. During a stint with the Nuggets’ summer league squad in 2017, he led the team in blocks (six) and offensive rating (118.4), the sort of athletic ceiling that resulted in a two-way contract with the major club in July 2017.

“So that’s kind of what clicked for me, right then and there,” Craig said. “It wasn’t (I had to) ‘work on it. ’ I was sporting. I had the foot speed. I had strength and the size. This was all about effort. I put my effort. And then once I argued more into defense, I became a defender. ”

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