About an hour before game time, new Celtic Torrey Craig jogged through the locker room towards the door.
“Court this way?” he asked before being pointed in the right direction. Once on the floor, he got his first taste of life as a Celtic, which he’d been for less than a week. He met the most important person in the building, Deuce Tatum, signed some autographs, and soaked in the surroundings of his new home.
“It was crazy,” he said after beating the Spurs. “The atmosphere, the crowd, the fans. It’s just a joy to play in front of a crowd like that. And yeah, man, I’m just glad I made my debut in the Garden. I’m glad I hit my first shot.”
It was an easy enough shot to hit. After giving the ball up to Jayson Tatum, he retreated to the right corner while Tatum collapsed the defense and kicked it back to him for a clean look.
"He integrated pretty well,” Tatum said. “We didn't have practice or anything like that, so we kind of threw him in the on the fly. But it's part of being a professional, staying ready. Obviously he'll get better, more comfortable with us and likewise as the season progresses. But he gave us a spark off the bench, hit some threes, backed up on the defensive end, and that's what we expect from him."
Craig only played about nine minutes, but those minutes showed why the Celtics added Craig when he became available, and why he knew this was the right fit for him.
“I’m just coming in and being an extra guy whenever the team needs it,” Craig said after joining the team. “Add to the wing depth on this team, being another defender, another physical body that you can throw out there and produce.”
The physicality is what stood out most. Craig is still learning Boston’s on-court lingo, but the language of hard work and hustle is universal. Craig has played in Australia, New Zealand, and for six other NBA teams over his career, so he’s seen and done a lot. There's a reason he still gets paid to play at this level as a 34-year-old journeyman.
“You’ve got to rely on his experience,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s been around a long time, he’s played a lot of basketball, and it’s not rocket science, so I think it’s just simplifying it, simplifying it as much as we can, but also utilizing the experience that he’s had. He’s done a lot of great things for good teams, and that’s why we have him.”
Last season, the Celtics could go to Oshae Brissett in this kind of situation. Jaylen Brown missed his second straight game because of knee soreness. Jrue Holiday missed his fourth because of a shoulder issue. A defensive-minded guy who can knock down some shots is just what the doctor ordered. And Craig can hit those shots at a more palatable clip than Brissett, which means he might find his way onto the floor a little more often.
“His role is important,” Mazzulla said. "Some of the stuff that we’re able to do, and he’s been great as far as understanding that, even during the games, asking questions, and during film sessions. So everyone’s going to make mistakes. Even the guys that have been here in our system have made mistakes. To me, it goes back to the mistakes with effort vs. the mistakes and not effort. So he’s been the player for a long time who has played through mistakes and is a high-energy, high-physical guy.”
And just because he is still learning the Boston Celtics way doesn’t mean he’s not able to be a teacher, too. During the game, he got up off the bench to demonstrate a defensive technique to the younger Celtics sitting next to him.
"I was just explaining something that I saw in the game that would help us,” he explained. “Just talking about what I see out there and relaying it to the guys.”
It’s obvious Craig isn't shy. His confidence in himself will carry him through a lot. At 34, he understands what he’s in Boston to do. He’ll knock some heads if that's what the game needs and he’ll support and teach from the bench if his number isn’t called. His first nine minutes weren’t much in the grand scheme of basketball, but they were perfect for what the Celtics are looking for.
“I think he was excellent,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “We want him to be engaged like he is. He's talking. He's communicated from day one. Good vet presence … he's a good voice to have in the locker room for sure, and just a good personality to have around.”