After signing center Greg Stiemsma this summer, the New Orleans Pelicans have opened up competition for the starting spot at the 5.
A void was left after New Orleans traded away starting center Robin Lopez to the Portland Trail Blazers to complete their deal for Tyreke Evans from the Sacramento Kings. Now that the backcourt is loaded, they now must focus on the frontcourt.
At power forward, Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson basically have the position locked up. At center, Stiemsma sees himself battling with five-year veteran Jason Smith and rookie Jeff Withey.
Playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season and getting his first NBA action of his career with the Boston Celtics (against the Hornets, actually, and posting six blocks), Stiemsma has made a name for himself on the defensive end.
In Boston as Kevin Garnett’s backup, the 6’11”, 260-pound Stiemsma provided solid defense in the paint and was an effective shot blocker as well. He filled the same needs with Minnesota as he played behind Nikola Pekovic.
As beneficial as Stiemsma can be on that end, the offensive side doesn’t really work to his favor. He’s never been much of a scorer, posting his highest scoring average in the D-League when he averaged nine points in 28 minutes a game with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the 2010 season. On a team like the Pelicans that has many players who are versatile on offense like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis, Stiemsma won’t have to worry about creating on offense.
For his competition at the position, Jason Smith is suited more for the power forward role than center. Most of his production on offense came as the receiver in the pick-and-roll and in spot-up plays and only posted up 3.4 percent of the time, while Davis received the tougher of the defensive assignments. As for Withey, he may need more time to develop in his rookie year and the Pelicans will most likely be more comfortable with giving minute to a skilled veteran.
Seeing how his game actually complements Anthony Davis, it may be a great benefit for the team to start Stiemsma. Their defenses can cause a lot of trouble in the paint, and on offense Davis can learn to expand his game while Stiemsma focuses on the offensive glass and cleaning up any mess that may be left behind.
[slider_pro id=”19″]