Greg Stiemsma Could Be Interesting

CENTER Greg Stiemsma may not be just training camp fodder. Here's some footage of him shutting down Blake Griffin at some point in the past. He also moves very well down the floor and finishes nicely on the break. Of course, they don't show the many minutes when he may have done nothing good, but his 3.7 blocks per game in the NBDL last season and his healthy field goal percentage and RPG stats suggest he's got some skills. And big men who shoot 80% from the line don't grow on trees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzCzZZFYqM8

This is one guy I'm going to watch like a hawk in training games.

Sam

Sam

Watched the clip...I like what I see...moves well, great timing nba demeanor...

Dboss

2010 D-League DPOY.

That means he's not just a big body, there's actually something that he does better than average, although it is just D-league.

It'll be interesting to see how a D-league DPOY matches up against NBA centers. Should give us some idea as to whether D-league is a joke or not. I mean, if the DL DPOY can't defend in the NBA, then DL is a joke.

So, KG will now have JJJ (NCAA DPOY) and Stiesma (DL DPOY) to bark at.

That'll make him happy.

bob

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Both JJJ and Stiesma have a knack for blocking shots. That alone should earn them some minutes. Both guys hustle and have excellent basketball IQs. If Doc doesn't make it one of his priorities to find out what these guys can do and to work them into the system, then off with his head.

JJJ and Stiesma aren't the only newcomers. There should be plenty of new faces to work into the rotation and become part of the team. That's one of the best things to watch as the season begins: - how the new players work their way in. Last season, before they got traded, Erden and Harangody got some meaningful minutes and gave an inkling of their game and how they might have helped the team.

Somehow, this season, the guy in charge, if he really is in charge, has to figure out a way to dole out the minutes so that same magic can happen with possibly as many as half-a-dozen players.

It's going to be a serious challenge for Doc to find the new people the minutes they require. In Doc's tenure, it's mostly been injuries that have created the minutes that allowed rookies or second-year players to fit in on the floor. This may be unfair to Doc, since I don't know all the details, but he has to exert his authority and force some powerful personalities to sit on the sidelines while the young guys learn to fly. I don't think Doc can do it.

It's going to be too easy to let the Big Four have their way, play all the minutes they want and hope they don't get too worn down. So it's just as big a question as who's going to play center: that is, how do they keep the old guys from breaking down and Rondo from coming apart?

Since every team is dealing with the same issues - working in new people, allotting minutes, building chemistry - it's shaping up to be a season of chaos. At the end, it's the team that's playing best as a unit that's going to win, barring injuries. And the Celtics have as good a shot at that as anybody.

Watched a few videos with him....looks big, strong and unafraid of Griffin or Cousins....which is more than you could say for Semih or most other recent bench big men. Looking forward to seeing him in person soon.

This courtesy of Celticstown.com, 12/15:

I don’t know much about Greg Stiemsma. I remember seeing him play in college when he was at Wisconsin and thinking nothing but, “Man, he looks just like every other Wisconsin big man that team has ever had.” Beyond that, he never made much of an impression on me, mostly because I never envisioned the day when I’d have to learn how to spell “Stiemsma” and discuss the virtues of his low-post defense or the semi-mohawk hair-do he rocks in his D-League profile picture.

I know Stiemsma’s not an offensive player. During four games this season in the D-League, Stiemsma averaged 9.0 points per game, raising his career average to 8.7 points in 50 D-League games. And I can assure you, he’s not playing against the likes of Dwight Howard. He must have some sort of shooting touch, because his free throw percentage during those 50 games is 80.4 percent, a startling number for a big man, especially a defensive-minded one. But if you’re expecting Stiemsma to be any kind of scoring threat, well, I have a super-expensive time machine I’d like to sell you.

I know Stiemsma can block shots. Quite well. Better than any other D-League big man during the last couple years, in fact, and well enough to earn himself the 2010 D-League Defensive Player of the Year. Not one to jump through the roof — or anywhere remotely close to it — Stiemsma, according to the knowledgeable D-League followers I polled, nonetheless has a skill for blocking shots that should translate to the NBA, at least to an extent. Averaging 3.6 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game is impressive, even if the centers you’re playing are named Jamar Brown and Chas McFarland rather than Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan.

I know Stiemsma might be Boston’s only natural backup center come opening night. Given the Celtics’ desperate need for legitimate size, Stiemsma likely has the inside track on the 15th roster spot barring any further additions by Danny Ainge. Having Stiemsma as a 15th man isn’t scary at all — he’s a low-post defensive presence who understands his offensive liabilities. Having Stiemsma as your favorite team’s only true backup center is scary — if Jermaine O’Neal goes down to injury (I should probably change that “if” to a “when,” huh?), Boston’s only true low-post girth would come in the form of a 26-year old, athletically challenged shot-blocker who isn’t a particularly great rebounder, tends to get in foul trouble, hasn’t played a single NBA game and couldn’t score double digits if left alone in a gym for three hours. Of course, the Celtics will likely rely heavily on Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox and Kevin Garnett (a trio of power forwards) to fill the role of center during whatever absences O’Neal has. Stiemsma’s role would proably be minimal even if (slash when) O’Neal gets injured. Still, it would also be nice to have another decent, reliable option as a true center. I don’t know if Stiemsma is that guy.

At the very least, Stiemsma knows how he’s going to butter his bread — in the paint — and he’s not going to deviate from playing his role. (ESPN Boston)

“Hopefully I [can] bring some toughness, some inside presence, some shot-blocking ability,” Stiemsma said Wednesday after practice at the Celtics Training Center at HealthPoint. “Defense has always been my strong suit, so that’s where I’ve kind of [been focused]. I was looking forward to the challenge coming in, banging with some of the best in the game. Going against [Kevin Garnett] every day, and even Jermaine [O'Neal] — they’re big dudes. So it’s been fun for me.”

Of his time in the D-League and overseas, Stiemsma said, “It’s been cutting my teeth, kind of getting my grind in, getting experience in, knowing to let the game come to me. I’m getting a little older, a few years into the pro level, so that’s what it’s got to be [now]. You can’t rush too much. You’ve just got to stay within yourself and do what you can do. So I’ve been trying to focus on that, not stepping outside of my comfort zone too much, in terms of what I can and can’t do — just coming here, doing the things that I do well and doing them well.”

No matter how many people I’ve asked about Stiemsma, I still don’t claim to know an incredible amount about his game. But I do know this: In the NBA, low-post defenders who can give six fouls don’t grow on trees. If Stiemsma’s shot-blocking can carry over and he holds his own on the boards, letting him sap a few minutes as a defensive presence isn’t nearly the worst thing in the world.

bob

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A lockerroom interview with The Steamer, after last night's game against Toronto.

Destined to be the new Scal...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PnaO9txvMcw

bob

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I really like GS.

What a great find for the Celtics. He could be our starting center if needed.

His ability to rotate from one man to cover another is impressive. And he is still learning. He has a very high basketball iq. His length allows him to cover a wide area.

His ability to make shots in the 12 - 18 ft range enhances his value.

Dboss

Dboss,

You nailed it when you said Stiemsma is still learning. And learning rather quickly too. He's looking more comfortable out there with every additional game, and I don't see him displaying that deer-in-the-headlights look like some young players do.

Last night presented an interesting case in point. During the first few minutes of the game, he was trying to block virtually every shot the Wiz took. He did block a couple, but he also was whistled for two early fouls, and he sat out most of the rest of the half.

In the second half, you could see that he was being much more discriminating in determining which shots to go for. In fact, for a while, he overcompensated with the result that several Wizards drove right by him unmolested.

But the important thing is that he is learning the fine art of selectivity in shot blocking attempts. Once he refines that balancing act, he could be an extremely dangerous defensive weapon, even against the better centers in the league.

Why did he average so few points in the NBDL with that shooting touch (both from distance and from the foul line)? I believe he's one of those players who's better equipped to succeed in the NBA than at lower levels because teams at lower levels are not adept at placing players in a position to succeed.

The Celtics are quickly learning how to take advantage of his offensive skills; and Greg's not a trick-or-treater when it comes to utilizing those talents. That shooting touch seems to be the real deal. Frankly, his outside shot looks a little hurried to me; but that doesn't seem to bother his accuracy. It just makes his shot tougher to guard.

His overall offensive instincts (e.g., when to go to the hoop without the ball) are better than I would have expected—much better, in fact. He has to learn the system better (I had him down for only one pick last night); but he seems to be a learning sponge.

On a semi-related front, Doc played a five of KG, Bass, Paul, Ray and Rondo down the stretch. After the game, he talked about how much he likes that combination. He also said that he deliberately strayed from his KG minutes monitoring by playing Kevin for the entire quarter because Kevin looked strong and he knew there would be no game tonight. Doc did admit that Kevin probably missed a couple of late shots due to fatigue, and he indicated that he's not going to make a practice of playing KG so many minutes.
pretty m
I'm wondering whether KG would have been rested at some point during that quarter if Jermaine had been available. Which makes me wonder how long it will be before Doc might have enough confidence in Stiemsma to include him in a six-man crunch time rotation with the five who played down the stretch last night.

So far, this season is turning out pretty much as expected. The Celtics are experiencing a slower "cohesiveness curve" than most other teams because the rely less on athleticism and iso ball. And the subplots associated with this team are presenting a cornucopia of educational experiences for fans.

Sam

This is Chris Forsberg, of ESPN Boston's column after the 2nd Wiz game:

BOSTON -- In a way, it was Stuart Smalley sans the yellow button-down shirt and powder blue cardigan. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers watched rookie center Greg Stiemsma pass up a couple of open looks in practice during training camp and decided he needed a little self-affirmation.

So Rivers blew his whistle and told the 6-foot-11 Stiemsma to go stand in front of his teammates and repeat the phrase, "My name is Greg Stiemsma and I'm a shooter."

"We kept making him repeat it," Rivers recalled. "Everybody was laughing. He said, 'I can shoot. I'm a shooter.' And he is."

Stiemsma arrived in Boston last month with the reputation as a defensive-minded big man capable of one thing: blocking shots. That made him the D-League Defensive Player of the Year, but it hadn't landed him an NBA job.

Size-craving Boston gave him that opportunity and, with Jermaine O'Neal sidelined by a sore left hamstring on Monday night, Stiemsma was thrust into the starting lineup against the Washington Wizards.

The 26-year-old Stiemsma, whose lore had already grown after he blocked six shots in his NBA debut last week in New Orleans, responded by registering 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists over 21 minutes in Boston's 100-92 triumph at TD Garden.

Stiemsma smiled sheepishly when told Rivers relayed the story of him having to stand up in front of the team and pump his own tires. But he admitted it did the trick.

"I think I passed up a couple looks in practice, one of the first few workouts and he kind of asked me, 'What are you?'" Stiemsa said. "And I said, 'I don't know, shooter?' He kind of made me say it a few more times and it started to sink in a little bit more."

That confidence was obvious in the third quarter with what Rivers called his favorite moment of the game. Stiemsma missed a 16-foot jumper in the opening minute of the quarter, but the ball swung right back to him the next trip down. In training camp, he might have passed up the look. Now?

He's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like it when he shoots the ball.

Stiemsma made both an 8- and 22-foot jumper in little more than a minute, showcasing his full range, while Boston erased a small deficit. Stiemsma finished the third with eight points in seven minutes, the crowd roaring with every field goal.

"Stiemsma was terrific, he was absolutely wonderful," Rivers gushed. "And I was so happy when he just took the shot. My favorite play of the whole game was when he missed a shot and they threw it right back to him and he shot it again. I mean, that's terrific. I thought the whole bench was excited over that because it's what we've been saying.

"He does what he does. For him, the game is simple because he knows what he does. You rarely see him do anything else. He blocks shots, he tries to rebound and he makes his shots. And he's actually a very good passer -- we've had a couple [plays out of timeouts] where he's the passer and he responded very well to that.

"He obviously still has to work on holding his ground in the post, and when guys are over his back. But he's not going to see a lot of freak athletes like [JaVale] McGee. That's where he has to improve, just holding his ground."

Stiemsma earned similar rave reviews from everyone from captain Paul Pierce ("He has a lot of potential. He's really listening.") to the man he filled in for (O'Neal said, "He did fantastic. He's been doing that since the first day of training camp, so we're not surprised.")

But 17-year veteran Kevin Garnett, who spent a lot of time with Stiemsma after practices in training camp, trying to show him the intricacies of the NBA game, may have been most proud of what Stiemsma showed Monday night.


"Seriously, man, I'm happy for Greg," Garnett said. "You see a guy come in here, coming from the bottom, coming from nothing, very appreciative of his opportunity, comes in, works his [butt] off. You're not seeing that. He really comes in and works his [butt] off. A true professional, and you're just happy to see a guy get an opportunity like that, and more importantly him taking advantage of it.


"You know what I hate is that everybody knows who Greg is now. He's not our big secret anymore. Like I said, he has uncanny instincts, can block shots like anybody else, man, like no one I've ever seen. He doesn't look all that fast and quick and explosive, and I think that's kind of his mystique about him. I told him he's in the league now, so he's not going to be that much of a mystique any more, not much of a mystery. But, truth to him, he's worked his behind off to get to where he's at, so I'm just happy for him."


Rivers reaffirmed after the game that O'Neal is the Celtics' starting center, but as Garnett suggested, there's a role for Stiemsma on this team regardless of its health.


Especially if he keeps shooting like he did Monday.


"My jump shot was feeling really good, really confident," Stiemsma said. "Part of that stems from the top, [when Rivers is] confident in it. He wants me to look for it. Whenever I get the opportunity to take it, and it's a good look for the team, I'm going to try to keep knocking it down."


As Smalley would note, "Trace it, face it and erase it."


My Notes:

The story about Doc making Stiemsma repeat in practice "My name is Greg Stiemsma and I'm a shooter" is hilarious. That's why Doc is so popular with players, he makes practice fun.

Last night, Tommy said that he thought Stiemsma and Russell had the same instincts. A little over the top (ok maybe more than just a little), I think, but add that to KG's comment and you have someone special. Now, let's see what happens after he gets scouted.

bob

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One observation and one question.

The observation: something I noticed in his box score is that Stiemsma hasn't gotten into serious foul trouble (13 fouls in four games). That may be due to his limited minutes (he projects at 6.7 fouls per 36 minutes), but still, I've seen countless young shotblockers rack up foul-a-minute stints, especially when they're rookies and get no breaks from the refs. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

The question: what do you think of Stiemsma as an individual post defender as opposed to an off-ball shotblocker? To understand what I mean, think of Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan. Chandler is an excellent defender in all aspects -- denying the ball, rotating, challenging cutters, on-ball defense (defending when the opposing center has the ball), coming off his man to make blocks. The opposite extreme is Jordan, who does a great job of coming off his man to make blocks but is essentially a one-trick pony who fails miserably at denying position and the entry pass and at on-ball defense. Sorry for making this overly convoluted, but I'd like to know how complete a post defender you think Stiemsma is, beyond the shotblocking.

Outside

Outside wrote:One observation and one question.

The observation: something I noticed in his box score is that Stiemsma hasn't gotten into serious foul trouble (13 fouls in four games). That may be due to his limited minutes (he projects at 6.7 fouls per 36 minutes), but still, I've seen countless young shotblockers rack up foul-a-minute stints, especially when they're rookies and get no breaks from the refs. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

The question: what do you think of Stiemsma as an individual post defender as opposed to an off-ball shotblocker? To understand what I mean, think of Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan. Chandler is an excellent defender in all aspects -- denying the ball, rotating, challenging cutters, on-ball defense (defending when the opposing center has the ball), coming off his man to make blocks. The opposite extreme is Jordan, who does a great job of coming off his man to make blocks but is essentially a one-trick pony who fails miserably at denying position and the entry pass and at on-ball defense. Sorry for making this overly convoluted, but I'd like to know how complete a post defender you think Stiemsma is, beyond the shotblocking.

Outside

Outside,

I mentioned this in my post-game comments and it is also echoed in Doc's comments in the Chris Forsberg article. Stiemsma's weaknesses, as I see them, is that he doesn't hold his position well in the post (he can get pushed back) and I've seen him taken off the dribble. He is an absolutely outstanding help defender. Like Perk, Russell and so many others I have no problem with funneling players to him. I don't know if his post defense is due to inadequate lower body strength, although I doubt it, or if it's just that he doesn't fight as hard as he should to hold his spot on the floor. His fouls seem to come from one-on-one post defense and not, as is often seen, on help defense. His timing and angles on help defense are pretty darn good for a rookie.

I can almost guarantee, based upon what I've seen, heard and read about him that this weakness will improve and probably within a relatively short period of time. KG has spoken very highly about how hard he works (and KG doesn't like players who don't work hard. There is probably no greater compliment coming from KG than that).

bob

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Outside and Bob

I think he just needs to get used to banging against the better post up players.

At this point his contribution has been way beyond expectations. his ability to play at the 5 spot opens up more rotation combinations for Doc to utilize.

He is no kids at 26 but he has a youthfulness about him that its refreshing.

Dboss

Bob, Outside,
I don't know if GS is a good on-ball/post defender but if by the end of the season he averages 10-15 meaningful min he'll have a lot more experience. This will allow to see if he is. Even if he's not the experience will allow to compensate this shortcoming.
His success (so far) story tells me that he is a quick study. So, give him some time.

As for that funny story (thanks for posting it), my interpretation was analogy with AA club but in this case it's RA club.

AK

Bob,

My take, for whatever it's worth, is that his first defensive instinct is the block. He's much more comfortable reaching for a block than guarding someone who comes up under him. Sort of like a baseball player who's great going to his right or left but has problems with balls hit straight at him. Greg has much to learn about the footwork, balance and body management in defense. At present, I believe he's more confident in letting someone go past him and trying for the block from behind than in stopping the guy on the dribble.

I'm confident he will improve in that area, and probably sooner rather than later. Until then, he'll probably continue to be more impressive at blocking shots than in blocking opponents' progress to the hoop.

Sam

We haven't seen enough of Stiemer yet to get a feel for his strengths and weaknesses, but it appears that he hustles up and down the floor, sees the whole court, positions himself well, and rotates well. He doesn't seem to have the lateral quickess to challenge guys driving to the basket, to take charges, or to cut off lanes. He doesn't bang well under the boards, but he's trying, and, unfortunately, if he has blocked anyone out yet, I haven't seen it. No one on the Celtics blocks out; it's their Achilles heel.

Stiemer does bring toughness and an upbeat attitude. Once or twice around the league and he'll still be standing. Just a guess but he'll probably carve himself out a nice role as backup or even starting-not-finishing, as he did last night. At this stage, he's better than Henry Finkel was at a similar stage in his career.

The Wizards center McGee is a bigger mystery than Stiemer. He's taller than Russell and seems to be his equal in speed and quickness, which is saying something. Whether he can high jump 6' 9 and 3/4", as Russell did in college, is a question. Still, this guy should be dominating games and if he ever gets it, watch out! He never stopped moving and was all over the boards, sneaking up behind guys. He doesn't seem to have the killer instinct and I hope he doesn't get it until Danny signs him maybe as next year's Christmas present to the fans.

Watching Stiemer and McGee, you have to speculate what McGee would be like if he had the knack for blocking shots, because it's definitely a knack. That's not saying it can't be learned, only some players just have a natural aptitude for it, kind of like rebounding.

Nobody blocked shots before Russell came along because players were coached never to leave their feet. In the first half of Russell's first varsity game, after Russ had blocked six shots by the other team's center, USF coach Phil Woolpert ordered him to stop blocking shots! Russell deeply disagreed and respectfully argued with his coach, as you can possibly imagine. One of Woolpert's main complaints was that it was too easy to upfake a player who leaves his feet and draw a foul.

At the start of USF's next game, K.C. Jones got acute appendicitis and spent four weeks in the hospital. He had countless visitors but only one came every day and stayed until they kicked him out, his roommate, Bill Russell. What they talked about was never recorded but after that first game, Bill started looking for ways to block shots without leaving his feet. The play where he chased a man down from behind and swatted away a layup was born then. That was also about the time when Bill came up with the idea of leaping straight up and reaching forward with his hand, rather than leaping into the shooter and making himself vulnerable to a foul call. Another development traceable to that time and place was the play where Russell blocked the ball to one of his teammates rather than out of bounds, answering another one of Woolpert's objections. The point of all this is that to some players, not many but some, it comes naturally.

Kendrick Perkins apparently learned Bill Russell's shot-blocking techniques, probably with the help of Clifford Ray, and became quite proficient at a couple of them, which is a big reason why he has such a thick wallet these days. But Perk blocked shots as a teenager because he already had the knack. Rondo's another natural shot-blocker and doesn't look to do it often enough (too busy doing everything else, I suppose). Pierce used to block shots, once upon a time, as did K.G. Against the Wizards, even Ray did it, so maybe Stiemer's attitude is contagious.

There's another player on the Celtics whose college stats say that he has the knack for blocking shots, and that's JJJ. He's a rookie though, so Doc will never let him play.

After six games, Steamer's #2 in the league in blocks. That's averaging only 17.5mpg.

He is #1 in blocked shots/48mpg. In fact, @ /48mpg, nobody is even close.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/blocks/sort/avgBlocks/year/2012/seasontype/2

bob

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Hollinger has Steamer as the #6 rookie. Ok, so it's only after 6 games, and it is Hollinger, but we're having a little fun here.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?position=rookies&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics%3fposition%3drookies

bob

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I agree with Hollinger. Stiemz could be amazing, if given the opportunity.

Would like to see him play at least 20 mpg

Dboss

I would give the kid a shot. Heck everyone is giving the other veterans an excuse of playing poorly by saying they are rounding into shape and the need to form a rhythm. Well how can Siemer gain a rhythm unless he plays. The kid has shown some nice spurts and if coached by KG can even get better.

Heck, I'll even bet he has a better outside shot then JON.

Play him!
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As long as we have a dedicated Greg Stiemsma thread, I thought I'd post this video here too: This is the Steamer's 3/4 court-chase-down-a-guard-with-a-headstart-from-behind block. Really nice hustle by Steamer...

bob

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Fully agree. I feel as though he was hot, then Doc froze him on the bench. And now he comes out cold.

Clearly, they need to pick their spots with Steamer, as with bigger guys - like Howard and McGee - he is over matched.

Stemer has no rhythm and needs playing time like Bradley. After some time playing we are seeing shades of brilliance. Play the kid!

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