Greg Stiemsma was given a surprise start as he replaced an injured Jermaine O'Neal in the Boston Celtics' game against the Washington Wizards. Not much was expected when the shot blocker called-up from the NBA Development League less than a month ago, but Stiemsma seemingly showed he belonged in the NBA on Monday night.
Ridiculous Upside has been writing about Stiemsma as an NBA player for over two years and first suggested calling him up in January of 2010, but the former center for the Sioux Falls Skyforce didn't get a chance to show what he was capable of until the NBA lockout created an opening in the Celtics training camp.
Stiemsma took full advantage of his new opportunity, too, as he scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked two shots and drew three technical fouls as the Celtics improved to .500 on the season with the 100-92 victory.
As one NBA executive told me earlier Monday about Stiemsma's impressive performance thus far this season, "It just goes to show that some role players can play their role at any level ... even if most D-League scorers can't score in the NBA."
Not bad for a D-Leaguer, eh?
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