Joan Beringer arrived at summer league with the spotlight squarely on him, and the Timberwolves got a pretty clean answer in their first look. In a 105-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the 19-year-old big man put up 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, giving Minnesota a performance that checked a lot of the boxes it wanted to see.
That matters because the Wolves are heading into a season where they’ll need him. With Julius Randle and Naz Reid out of town, Beringer won’t have the luxury of easing into the rotation. The real question has been whether he’s ready for that kind of responsibility, and summer league was always going to be the place to start answering it.
What stood out most was how controlled he looked on defense. Beringer has never lacked energy or tools - the rim running, the rebounding, the shot blocking have all been part of the package since his rookie year.
But discipline has been the issue, especially after he averaged 5.4 fouls per 36 minutes as a rookie. Thursday was a different story.
He picked up only two fouls and did a strong job protecting the basket without reaching or gambling too much.
Minnesota also started him at the "power forward" spot next to fellow 2025 pick Rocco Zikarsky, which meant Beringer spent more time guarding away from the rim than usual. He handled it well. That kind of assignment says something about where the Wolves think his defensive ceiling can go.
The offensive side brought another encouraging layer. Beringer’s athleticism and rim-running already showed up in limited rookie minutes, but the next step is adding more than just straight-line finishes. On Tuesday, he looked more comfortable putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket, a sign that his game is starting to stretch beyond pure energy plays.
It wasn’t perfect - he shot 7-for-15 from the field, and there were still moments where the offense looked raw. But the bigger picture was hard to miss. There was more polish there, more confidence, and more of the kind of skill growth Minnesota has been waiting to see.
For a team that still has Rudy Gobert miles ahead of Beringer as a player, there’s also obvious value in having another center who can bring a different kind of offensive punch in certain lineups. Summer league is only summer league, but Beringer gave the Wolves a real reason to believe he can supply that.
For Minnesota, that’s about as good a first step as it could have asked for.
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For the Timberwolves, the appeal is obvious enough: a chance to pair James with Anthony Edwards and a roster built around Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, while also addressing the need for a power forward. The broader field still includes familiar names such as Golden State, Cleveland, Miami and Philadelphia, but James has been spending time on the golf course in Puerto Rico with Draymond Green, leaving the next step in the chase very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]