In the end, the Bulls did not change their team, despite this particularly disappointing 2022/23 season.
Chicago even extended Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, with only minor tweaks, including signing Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig to complete Billy Donovan’s rotation.
Two “role players” who must provide defense and toughness around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
“In fact, during the last two “free agency”, AK (Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago sports boss) and I discussed. But we couldn’t get along.”explains Torrey Craig at NBC Sports Chicago. “We knew what kind of players he wanted and what Jevon Carter and myself could bring and what kind of team we had the potential to be, especially with the guys who are already here. We want to be one of the toughest, strongest defensively and most competitive teams throughout the season”.
The winger thus recalls that Arturas Karnisovas was in Denver when the Nuggets launched his career in the NBA, after several seasons spent in Australia, upon his release from USC.
Torrey Craig also sees parallels between the Suns, his last team, and the Bulls. In Phoenix, he had to support Devin Booker and Kevin Durant by taking care of obscure tasks. In Chicago, he could do the same for Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, focusing on defense and rebounds in particular.
“I was telling Coach (Billy Donovan) that I was watching the games and seeing all the talent they had. In some of the matches they lost, I saw how I could have contributed and brought a little more toughness, a little more bite, a little more competitiveness in some of those matches to be more consistent. It certainly played a part in my decision to come here” thus concludes the 32-year-old player.
| Torrey Craig | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 39 | 16 | 45.3 | 29.3 | 62.9 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 4.2 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 75 | 20 | 44.2 | 32.4 | 70.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 5.7 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 58 | 19 | 46.1 | 32.6 | 61.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 5.4 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 50 | 16 | 48.0 | 36.8 | 77.3 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| 2020-21 * | PHX | 32 | 19 | 50.3 | 36.9 | 80.0 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 7.2 |
| 2020-21 * | MIL | 18 | 11 | 39.1 | 36.4 | 50.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2.5 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 78 | 21 | 45.4 | 32.9 | 75.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 6.6 |
| 2021-22 * | IND | 51 | 20 | 45.6 | 33.3 | 77.1 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 6.5 |
| 2021-22 * | PHX | 27 | 21 | 45.0 | 32.3 | 70.6 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 6.9 |
| 2022-23 | PHX | 79 | 25 | 45.6 | 39.5 | 71.1 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 7.4 |
| Total | 379 | 20 | 45.6 | 34.7 | 69.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 6.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
