Joan Beringer gave the Timberwolves exactly the kind of preseason jolt they were hoping to see in their opener - and maybe a little more.
In Minnesota’s 116-97 win over Milwaukee, the 19-year-old center flashed the kind of size, activity and upside that has teammates, coaches and fans buzzing. Beringer finished with 12 points on 5-8 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds and did it all in just 15 minutes.
“Feel a lot better,” Beringer said after the game. “I work on the, on my game every day, so yeah - feel good, and we won, so feel great.”
The performance came with the kind of reminder that has followed him already: the fouls. Beringer picked up four personals, and that issue has been a recurring one early in his NBA run.
“He’s gotta learn,” coach Chris Finch said after the win. “He’s gotta keep learning.
I mean, the one foul where he was, you know he backed under the guy in the air - that was easily a controllable foul. You got to get rid of those.
The offensive foul, look - you love the aggressive, going to the hoop, but he makes the right play to the corner, he probably doesn’t get that foul. So, there’s a couple controllables, and a couple that are, you know, gonna happen normally.
It’s gonna be a work in progress.”
That learning curve matters even more now. With Naz Reid gone in the LaMelo Ball trade, backup center minutes are there for the taking, and Beringer has a real opening to carve out a role this preseason.
His rookie season was light on court time - 7.9 minutes per game - and the numbers were modest: 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game, according to basketball reference. But the excitement around him isn’t built on those stats. It’s built on the tools.
At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 and a half wingspan, Beringer has the kind of frame and defensive promise that makes him such an intriguing project for Finch and the Timberwolves. The comparisons to Rudy Gobert, a fellow Frenchman and four-time defensive player of the year, are obvious for a reason.
Beringer said on media day that foul trouble is one of the biggest areas he needs to clean up.
“I think it's a mental skill, honestly,” said the Sélesat, France native. “It's more, like, ‘be aware that you don't have to jump every time,’ you know, especially I want to block everything, so I most of the time I just jump, you know, and try to block everything.
So, I just have to learn, you know, like, be up and be smart. And, you just, like, I think it's just mental skills to, you know, to develop.”
With Minnesota’s frontcourt depth thin, Beringer is going to get plenty of chances in camp and throughout the preseason to show he’s ready for a bigger job. Saturday was a strong start.
In Other News...
Joan Beringer Could Fix A Timberwolves Problem Fans Know Too Well
Joan Beringer enters his second season with a clear opening on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster: the chance to handle the minutes behind Rudy Gobert. For a team that has long had to manage the non-Gobert stretches carefully, that matters. Beringers appeal is straightforward enough for a coaching staff to appreciate. He brings athleticism, a promising defensive profile and enough presence around the basket to give Minnesota a different look at center when the starter sits.
The bigger question is how much of that potential shows up right away. Beringer is still a developing player, but his value could reach beyond simple backup duty if his defense translates the way the Wolves hope and his offense adds some easy finish opportunities at the rim. For a team built on making life difficult for opponents, even modest progress there could make a noticeable difference in the minutes that have too often been a soft spot. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Finch Sees One Early Sign Wolves Fans Will Love In LaMelo Ball
As Minnesota settles into the early stages of the season, Chris Finch has been paying close attention to LaMelo Balls fit and, more importantly, to the parts of his game that can sharpen the Timberwolves right away. The coachs perspective matters here because Minnesota is not looking for a reinvention so much as a seamless addition of talent, and Finchs read on Ball has centered on the idea that the guard can bring his usual style without being boxed into something unfamiliar.
The encouraging part for Wolves fans is the way Finch has framed Balls preseason work on the defensive end, where Minnesota has been searching for signs that his tools can translate beyond the highlight plays. With his length and awareness already drawing notice alongside Rudy Gobert, there is at least a real opening for Ball to contribute in a way that fits the Wolves identity, even if the full picture of his role is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Joan Beringer Just Gave Timberwolves Fans A Reason To Watch Him Closely
Joan Beringer gave the Timberwolves a useful look in their preseason meeting with the Bucks, showing why the front office is still intrigued by his long-term upside in the frontcourt. The young big man looked more comfortable as a screener and more dependable around the rim than he did as a rookie, which matters for a Minnesota team that is always searching for size and reliability inside.
The performance also came with a reminder that his development is still a work in progress. Foul trouble clipped his stint and kept him from building on the strong stretches he flashed, leaving the Wolves with the same kind of question they have had around him all along: how quickly can he turn promising tools into something they can count on every night? [Read more 🡒]