After a year in the D-League, Aaron Craft has earned a shot in the NBA
It’s about time someone took a chance on Aaron Craft.
After four years at Ohio State, Craft went undrafted in 2014 and quickly latched onto the Golden State Warriors on a training camp deal. While he was amongst the final roster cuts heading into the regular season (a somewhat surprising move), he opted to postpone medical school to play for their NBA Development League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Craft played in all 57 games (regular season and postseason) with the Warriors, logged close to 40 minutes per contest, won Defensive Player of the Year and was a catalyst in their run to a D-League title. Now done breaking records in Summer League, Craft finds himself in a similar situation as last year — fighting for a roster spot following a widely successful season. Although this time, there’s no doubt he deserves a real shot.
Shooting
In 50 regular season games with the Warriors, Craft knocked down 25.7 percent of his 113 3-point attempts. Here’s a detailed look at his shot chart. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he went through an even worse stretch in the months of December and January when he shot 6-for-46 (13 percent) from distance.
Seeing as he’s been hovering around the 30 percent clip for three years now, it’s no wonder why people question whether he’ll ever be an above average shooter.
However, while his mechanics need some tender loving care (he shoots far too low and has a wonky release that yields inconsistent results), Craft showed promising signs of improvement as the season wore on. Over the course of his final 23 games, he converted 37 percent of his 3-pointers. In seven postseason games, he saw that number drop slightly to a respectable 33.3 percent. He wasn’t a bad mid range shooter, either, having made 37 of his 89 attempts (41.5 percent) on the season.
It’s no surprise that Craft’s highest scoring games came at the hands of decent shooting nights. Defenders simply ignored him on the perimeter, instead focusing their attention on James Michael-McAdoo, Elliot Williams and Darington Hobson. In pick and rolls, opponents practically conceded open jump shots to prevent him from getting into the lane and kicking out to teammates. Because he’s not a high volume shooter (7.6 shot attempts per game), it usually worked in their favor.
Defense
Craft’s game is predicated on harassing opponents, and he’s such a polarizing player because he does it so well. He won two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards at Ohio State, was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and proved to be stingiest of defenders in the D-League this past season.
Craft isn’t necessarily the quickest of guards, nor is he an imposing figure (6-1 with a 6-2 wingspan) who overwhelms opponents athletically. He’s just a savvy defender — he moves his feet well laterally and keeps his assignment in front of him by using his body to absorb contact. His ability to fight over and through screens is remarkable.
Craft is essentially a one-man wrecking crew on defense, capable of bringing fast breaks to a screeching halt and jump-starting an offense. He’s not afraid to put his body on the line by chasing a loose ball out of bounds or drawing a charge, and he’s mastered contesting shots à la Shane Battier by getting his hand in front of the shooter’s face before they release the ball.
There isn’t anything bad to say about Craft’s defensive ability. His IQ is truly off the charts and he’s a tireless worker who studies scouting reports through and through. After seeing Matthew Dellavadova come center stage in the 2015 NBA Finals, there’s no reason why Craft couldn’t achieve similar success as a third string point guard. As if fate would have it, Craft even looks up to Delly.
Passing
Craft isn’t a playmaker as much as he is a floor general — a second coach, if you will. He doesn’t wow the crowd with flashy passes or look to thread the needle whenever the opportunity presents itself. He just makes the right play.
On the season, Craft averaged 6.2 assists per contest. He dished out double-digit assists on six occasions and had a season-high 15 assists against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the most part, he’s not a volume assister or pick-and-roll demon capable of picking defenses apart. But he makes sound plays while rarely turning the ball over. Rather than trying to do too much, he knows his limits and stays within his lane — unless the opportunity to make a one-handed bounce pass from 60-feet presents itself.
More impressive than the numbers is how the offense flowed with Craft on the floor. He’s constantly moving in the half court, surveying the scene and looking to push the pace with quick outlet passes. When he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he cuts to the rim and fills open spaces on the perimeter. The Warriors’ offense worked seamlessly when he was on the court, a stark difference from when the likes of Hobson handled the ball and often forced it to come to a halt with a heavy dose of one-on-ones and pick and rolls.
Being conservative has its drawbacks, but Craft has a knack for keeping everything under control. Given his limitations, that’s all a team needs from him.
Driving
Like his passing, Craft isn’t a particularly creative driver. With a tight handle and a nifty array of scoop shots, though, that’s not a huge problem.
Craft has a soft touch in the paint and is capable of finishing with either hand, completing reverse layups and using his body to create the needed separation. He’s usually under control and does a good job of breaking defenses down in pick and rolls by effectively changing his pace. He also works his way into easy buckets by cutting aggressively when his defender sags off to double the post.
While Craft converted 62.4 percent of his layups in a Warriors uniform, he often struggled against bigger and more athletic opponents.
Craft is able to get his shot off quickly, but it sometimes comes as a cost. He often rushes floaters in the hope of catching shot blockers off guard, only to see them fall short or get pinned against the glass. He overcompensates by looking to draw contact when being shadowed en route to the rim, too, resulting in only 2.6 free throws attempts per game.
Making life more difficult for Craft is he often drives himself into trouble and fails to turn the corner with blistering speed. Without a consistent jump shot, elite quickness or NBA-level athleticism, his ceiling as an offensive player is greatly hampered.
Intangibles
Adam Johnson (@AdamJNBA) covers the Santa Cruz Warriors for his site, SeaDubsCentral, and knows the ins and outs of the roster better than just about anybody. Much of his 2014-15 season was spent tracking Craft’s progression from a standout at Ohio State to another guy fighting for a roster spot in the big leagues.
When asked about the side of Craft you don’t get a taster of from watching Warriors games on YouTube, Adam offered some great insight.
On leadership:
"What’s there to really say about Aaron Craft? Number one, he’s an absolute professional. He is durable, playing and starting in all 57 games for Santa Cruz last season (including the playoffs) and is just a winner. I find it amazing that he was able to come in to a situation with very little knowledge of the D-League, and having played very little with his teammates (he played a bit with McAdoo and Watt in training camp) yet still found a way to be the leader of the team. Everyone spoke of Aaron in high regard. It means a lot when a guy like Elliot Williams, who’s been in NBA locker rooms, tells you that Craft is a leader on the team."
On improvements:
"It’s cliche to simply say guys get better and “develop” in the D-League but he definitely did. In the beginning of the season he shot roughly 25 percent from 3-point range, in the last 15 games he shot 40 percent. Side note: He’s not a high volume shooter from 3, so it doesn’t help the stat but it shows how his efficiency changed. One of the moves Craft developed on the court was his ability to take the angle to the basket on a layup, seal off the defender and finish at the rim. He improved dramatically over the course of the season. His confidence grew significantly as well. He noted there was an adjustment period for him getting use to the faster pace and spacing issues of the D-League compared to college ball."
On his motor:
"You will never hear a negative thing said about Craft. He plays with his life on the line on every possession and values his turnovers/steals more than points — he understands his role on the court and scoring points aren’t a priority. Craft would beg coach Hill to play him 48 minutes a game but Hill wouldn’t have it. When asked about it, Hill acknowledged Craft’s request and just smiled, “Not gonna happen.” Leadership is the greatest intangible he has along with professionalism and ability to adapt to the game. He’s amazing and such a high character guy that I think any team would benefit from having him in the locker room Also, as an aside, at the D-League Elite Mini Camp which took place in early June, of all the coaching staff members I spoke to off the record Craft was named by each of them as one of their top participants. He’s putting in the work."
That determination has caught the eye of Steve Kerr in the past, too.
Overall
Craft is cut from the same cloth as pesky players like Dellevadova, a big reason why one NBA scout believes he was the most underrated point guard in the D-League last season. He still has a lot to work on, but he does one thing at an elite level that should translate well to the next level.
Craft isn’t built to be a starting point guard in the NBA — since his days at Ohio State, he’s been a low usage player with little offensive game — but he doesn’t need plays called for him to be effective. His tenacious defense energises teammates and he is rarely a hindrance on the floor because he’s constantly in motion. It’s no coincidence that the Warriors won a franchise best 35 games and waltzed into the playoffs with the No. 1 seed in Craft’s rookie season.
Ideally, Craft is a 10-to-15 minute backup who provides a punch on both ends of the floor. It’s why situation is so important for him to make it in the NBA. For the Warriors, who are in need of a point guard to backup Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston, it’s easy to see how he’d fit in.