Joan Beringer has turned the offensive glass into a weapon for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Through seven games, the 2025 first-round pick has already shown he can handle a bigger role in his second season, even with the occasional rough patch. He’s still 19 for another week and has only been playing basketball for a few years, so there was real uncertainty about how he’d look with more responsibility.
That uncertainty hasn’t lasted long. Beringer has been especially effective where it matters most: creating extra possessions.
The one team that has kept him off the offensive boards was Toronto, which held him without an offensive rebound in the Timberwolves’ 117-94 win on Oct. 25.
Outside of that game, opponents haven’t found an answer. In the other seven contests, the 7-footer has collected at least two offensive rebounds each time, and in six of those games he’s reached three or more.
He’s doing it without heavy minutes, too. Only his start against the San Antonio Spurs pushed him past 20 minutes.
Beringer is playing 18.1 minutes per game and still averaging 3.8 offensive rebounds, which works out to 7.5 per 36 minutes. As a rookie, he was already strong on the glass at 5.2 per 36 minutes, but he has taken that skill to another level this season.
That matters even more with Anthony Edwards out. Minnesota’s offensive rating has dipped to 114.0 in the four games since Edwards was sidelined, down from 117.3 in the four games with him. The drop hasn’t been dramatic, but there are still nights when points are hard to come by, and second chances become a big deal.
Beringer is averaging just under three second-chance points per game, and that has been a welcome boost with Rudy Gobert struggling offensively. Minnesota has needed another big who can finish around the rim, and Beringer has provided that.
He kept it going Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks, who couldn’t keep him off the offensive glass. Beringer grabbed six offensive rebounds in about 14 minutes. Minnesota didn’t always cash in right away - he missed a few tip-ins before finishing a miss with a dunk around eight minutes left - but the pressure he puts on a defense is obvious.
When a team can’t stop one player from repeatedly creating extra looks, it wears on them. It can also drain the energy of defenders whose main job is simply boxing him out.
That kind of impact has helped players like Mitchell Robinson and Steven Adams earn bigger paydays, and Beringer looks like he could follow that path someday. For now, he’s giving the Timberwolves a major lift and looking like one of the NBA’s best offensive rebounders.
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