NBA summer league always comes with the same warning label: don’t get carried away too fast. But after one game, Joan Beringer has already given the Timberwolves something to think about.
The second-year center put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in his summer league debut, and the numbers came with some extra polish. He turned it over just once, committed only two fouls, and the production wasn’t empty. Beringer caught tough passes in traffic, finished at the rim, attacked multiple defenders off the dribble, played through contact and knocked down all of his free throws, though he only went to the line three times.
For a Wolves team that has lived with Rudy Gobert’s limitations on offense, that kind of showing stands out. Gobert has completely changed Minnesota’s identity over the past four years and remains one of the league’s best defensive anchors.
Offensively, though, his value comes mostly from screening, offensive rebounding and elite efficiency around the basket. The problem is that most of those finishes are dunks or putbacks, and when he’s asked to create, it can get messy.
Beringer is nowhere close to Gobert as a defender, rebounder or overall player right now. But the offensive flashes he showed were the exact sort of things Wolves fans have wanted to see more of from the center spot.
That matters even more because Minnesota’s frontcourt is suddenly thin after the flurry of trades Tim Connelly put together. The team may still be sorting out who starts at power forward on opening night, but the backup center job is there for the taking, and Beringer looks like the favorite to claim it.
His role would be different from Gobert’s, especially on offense, but the defensive expectations sound familiar. Minnesota would want him to anchor the paint, protect the rim and survive on switches, and there’s confidence he can handle that. On the other end, it could be a welcome change for Anthony Edwards and the rest of the Wolves to play with a big man they can trust to catch passes in all kinds of traffic and finish through contact.
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