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Craig will play for his third NBA team after signing a two-year deal with the Bulls. Coming off his best season to date, Craig finished the 2022-23 season as the 157th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 three-pointers and 1.4 combined steals and blocks. He will likely serve as a backup in Chicago, coming off the bench behind Patrick Williams and DeMar DeRozan. While he should play a meaningful role for his new team, managers are going to want to target a player with more upside toward the end of their draft.
Craig is coming off another season in which he ended well outside the top 250, a region he has occupied for most of his career. Despite playing in 78 games during the 2021-22 campaign, he eclipsed 15 points only four times, finishing with a season average of 6.6 points per game. There is a chance he features off the bench on most nights, but on a team with championship aspirations, he is unlikely to see more than 15 minutes per game. Managers in deeper formats are likely to find a player with higher upside at the tail-end of drafts.
Craig spent the early part of last season with Milwaukee, averaging only 11.1 minutes and 2.5 points over 18 games. A midseason trade to Phoenix helped the 6-foot-7 swingman turn things around, and he became a valuable component of the Suns' rotation after his arrival. Over 32 regular-season games -- including eight as a starter -- with Phoenix, Craig averaged 7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 three-pointers per contest while seeing about seven more minutes of playing time per game than he did with the Bucks. Though his minutes and production dipped in the playoffs, Craig was able to secure a two-year, $10 million contract from the Pacers in the offseason. The 30-year-old is likely to fill a similar role with Indiana as he did with the Suns -- namely, as a three-and-D reserve who isn't likely to see more than 20 minutes per game. Craig should contribute versatility and defensive toughness to his new squad, but it's unlikely that he'll put up the kind of numbers that merit fantasy consideration.
After three seasons in Denver, Craig will be moving on to Milwaukee. The 29-year-old defensive specialist is coming off a season where he started 27 of 58 appearances, averaging 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 combined steals-plus-blocks and 0.8 threes in 18.5 minutes. With the Bucks, he could be in line for a similar role, competing for wing minutes with the likes of Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo and Bryn Forbes. Unless Craig becomes an excellent three-point shooter overnight, there's not a reason to consider selecting him in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Despite having just one season of true NBA experience under his belt, Craig ended up being a key player for a Nuggets team making a push towards the top of the Western Conference last year. Craig and his 6-foot-7 frame were useful on defense, but he also saw his offensive game expand as the season went on, and the swingman ended up shooting an acceptable 32.4 percent from three-point range on 2.5 attempts per game. Craig, who averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 75 appearances last season, might have to fight for a similar role this season. He gained a lot of extra run due to the Nuggets' extensive injuries, especially to Gary Harris and Will Barton, who played in 86 combined games and are roughly 30-minute players when healthy. Plus, Michael Porter Jr. will come into training camp healthy, and his pre-NBA pedigree suggests he's a much more skilled offensive player than Craig. All things considered, the chances of Craig improving his fantasy stock are slim, and he can likely be avoided in all but the deepest of leagues.
Undrafted in 2014 after four years at USC Upstate, Craig had been overseas until last year. He piled up an impressive resume while in Australia, winning NBL Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and being voted onto the All-NBL Second Team. That skill was evident during Craig’s 15 G-League appearances last season. He averaged 22.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and drilling 2.6 threes per tilt at 38.6 percent. Ultimately, he was able to garner 16.1 minutes per contest in 39 NBA appearances (including five starts), averaging 4.2 points and 3.3 assists. Craig will probably be asked to take on a bigger role this season considering the departure of Wilson Chandler, though may have to fight off the likes of Michael Porter Jr. (assuming he’s healthy) for playing time.
Craig signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets in the offseason, as he's expected to spend the majority of his season in the G-League this year. In the most recent Summer League, Craig averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in just 22.0 minutes per game as a standout for the Nuggets. Craig has had quite the journey to this point too, as he went undrafted out of USC Upstate back in 2014. Since 2014, Craig has played for teams like the Cairns Taipans, Wellington Saints, Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Rollers, with all those teams being in Australia or New Zealand. The accolades were endless for Craig in those leagues, as he earned league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year honors, multiple All-Star appearances and an NBL title in that three-year span. Success wont be as easy in the NBA, but he's worth keeping an eye on to see if he can make yet another jump in his development. On his two-way deal, Craig can spend up to 45 days on the Nuggets active roster.