Joan Beringer’s biggest early-season question for the Timberwolves has been answered in a hurry: the fouls have mostly disappeared.
Minnesota was intrigued by the 19-year-old before the season began, and for good reason. Even in a limited rookie year, the upside was obvious. But with Julius Randle and Naz Reid traded, Beringer was suddenly stepping into a much bigger role, and the concern that followed him was easy to spot - whether he could stay on the floor without getting whistled into trouble.
So far, he has handled it far better than expected. Through six games, Beringer has kept his foul count in check, as if something clicked on opening night and he figured out how to defend without constantly reaching or overcommitting.
That showed up again in Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Beringer finished with four points and four rebounds in a little more than 18 minutes, and it wasn’t his most productive outing. But Minnesota was plus-8 with the 7-footer on the court, and he managed to get through more than eight first-half minutes without picking up a foul.
The numbers are encouraging, even if the sample is still small. Beringer has not been charged with more than two fouls in any game this season. He had one foul in each of his first four games, then two in each of the last two.
The 19-year-old won’t turn 20 until November 11, and he only started playing basketball in 2021, so there’s still plenty of room for uneven nights. But the early signs are better than the Timberwolves had every reason to expect.
His block totals are down to start the season, though that may be by design. Rather than trying to erase everything at the rim, Beringer has been staying grounded and contesting shots without leaving his feet. On Friday, both of his fouls were shooting fouls, and he has only had two of those through the first five games.
He’s not going to log massive minutes, though that could change if Rudy Gobert keeps struggling, even if Gobert had a mostly solid game Friday. Beringer probably wasn’t in danger of fouling out anyway because he simply doesn’t play enough for that to be a major threat.
But the bigger point is that he hasn’t been forced to the bench early with two quick fouls, and that matters for Minnesota. It keeps him available, and it keeps the opponent from getting into the penalty too quickly.
The improvement stands out even more when you compare it to last season. Beringer is averaging 16.1 minutes per game this year, a big jump from the 7.9 minutes he played in his rookie season.
Last year, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft had six games in which he played at least 16 minutes. In those six, he fouled out once, had five fouls twice, and finished with his lowest foul total once, at two.
Overall, he averaged 5.4 fouls per 36 minutes as a rookie. Through six games this season, that number has dropped to 3.0.
The preseason showed the issue could still pop back up. In six exhibition games earlier this month, Beringer had three games with four fouls and another with three. But in the regular season, he still hasn’t had a game with three or more fouls.
There will be bumps ahead. Beringer is still not even 20, and Friday was his least impactful game since the opener.
But even on a quieter night, the fouls never piled up. For the Timberwolves, that’s real progress - and it means more chances for him to learn on the fly without having to watch from the bench.
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