Greg Stiemsma

It’s very rare to see a player who averaged just 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds play a sizable role for a playoff team, but that’s exactly what Stiemsma did for the Celtics last season. After bouncing around foreign leagues and the NBA D-League from 2008–2011, Stiemsma finally caught on with an NBA team last year. The 25-year-old center started the season in a depth role for Boston, but after numerous frontcourt injuries, he was elevated to a larger role. The defensive specialist averaged 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals in just 14 minutes per game. His hard work in Boston caught the eye of the Timberwolves’ brass, who rewarded Stiemsma with a two-year deal this offseason. Minnesota will ask Stiemsma to backup Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic while providing a defensive force off the bench. Like Chris Andersen in past seasons, Stiemsma is a one-category specialist for fantasy purposes, but he may be productive enough in blocks to warrant a look in deeper formats.