Joan Beringer’s game looks tailor-made for what the Timberwolves are trying to become.
At 6-foot-11, the 19-year-old doesn’t move like a typical big, and that’s exactly why Minnesota is so intrigued. In limited rookie minutes, he flashed the kind of athletic tools that jump out immediately: shot blocking, switching on defense and flying to the rim as a runner.
The runway is there, too. With Julius Randle and Naz Reid traded away, Beringer has a much clearer path to steady minutes. And the way the Timberwolves want to play should only make that opportunity more valuable.
Minnesota already shifted into a quicker gear last season, finishing 10th in pace and 10th in transition points. Now, with LaMelo Ball in the mix and the team leaning even harder into a perimeter-heavy approach, the expectation is that the tempo can climb again. That’s the kind of environment where Beringer can do damage.
His offensive role is pretty straightforward: run, roll and keep moving. He can spring off screens, beat defenders down the floor and finish in space. The hands are a real part of the package, too, which matters when the passes get tricky and the play breaks open in transition.
The small sample from his minutes with Minnesota backed that up. The Timberwolves were 12 points per 100 possessions better with Beringer on the floor, a number that isn’t going to hold up over time, but it did show how his speed and athleticism changed the shape of the offense.
That matters even more with the Wolves signaling they want to go all in on pace and transition scoring. Beringer fits that direction naturally.
This isn’t a knock on Rudy Gobert, either. He remains a major defensive anchor and an important part of what Minnesota does.
But at 34, he isn’t the player you build your fastest tempo around. Beringer is the one who can tilt that part of the game.
The bench could end up being the wildest part of all this. Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. already bring speed, and if Ayo Dosunmu ends up coming off the bench, Minnesota could have a second unit that really flies.
Defensively, Beringer’s value is just as clear. The Timberwolves are betting on switchability and speed to make up for some of the size they’ve lost, and that means finding bigs who can handle perimeter assignments when needed. Gobert can do that, and Beringer has shown enough upside to believe he can, too.
That ability matters in today’s NBA, where teams love to hunt matchups and drag centers into space. Beringer’s rare movement skills give him a chance to guard guards in pick-and-roll situations and serve as a switchable rim protector, which is the vision Minnesota seems to have for him.
He still has to prove he can deliver on all of it. But if he does, the combination is dangerous: protect the paint, survive on the perimeter and keep the whole defense flexible.
For the Timberwolves’ new identity, that makes Beringer a very clean fit.
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Victor Wembanyama Is Already Becoming The Wests Ultimate Measuring Stick
Anthony Edwards came away from the Timberwolves Western Conference Finals matchup with San Antonio seeing Victor Wembanyama not just as a problem to solve, but as the kind of player who can sharpen a contender. Edwards acknowledged the Spurs star as a motivating rival, and the way Wembanyama changes the geometry of a game is already part of why Minnesota has to keep evolving. For a Wolves team with title ambitions, those postseason meetings can become more than one series. They can become a standard.
Edwards has never lacked confidence, but Wembanyama gives that edge a different kind of purpose, the sort of challenge that forces a scorer and his team to look for new answers. The Spurs and Timberwolves may be set up for a rivalry built around their young stars, with every matchup carrying a little more meaning than the last. For Minnesota, the upside is obvious: if Wembanyama is the measuring stick, staying close to him means staying in the Wests elite conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Naz Reid Gets The Role Wolves Fans Always Wanted To See
Naz Reids move out of Minnesota finally gives him the kind of opportunity Wolves fans had long imagined for him, even if it comes in a very different uniform. After being traded to Charlotte in the offseason, Reid is positioned to open the year as a full-time starter at power forward, a notable shift for a player who had often flashed more responsibility in a bench role with the Timberwolves.
The wrinkle is that a starting label does not always guarantee a bigger workload, and Charlottes frontcourt depth could make this a more complicated fit than it looks on paper. Reid may have the title fans wanted to see, but the Hornets collection of bigs could still leave his minutes and offensive chances closer to what he handled in Minnesota. [Read more 🡒]
Bones Hyland Suddenly Carries A Huge Timberwolves Question
Bones Hyland has quickly become one of the more important second-unit pieces for Minnesota, and not just because of the energy he brings with the ball in his hands. The Timberwolves have been looking for a reliable backup point guard who can keep the offense moving when the starters sit, and Hylands improved playmaking and shooting have given the bench a much-needed lift.
The next step is figuring out whether that strong stretch can become a steady habit, especially with the Wolves needing more consistent production from their reserves. Hyland is now positioned to do more of the heavy lifting as a scorer and creator off the bench, and how well he handles that responsibility could go a long way toward shaping Minnesotas offensive depth. [Read more 🡒]