Jonathan Kuminga’s signing didn’t just lock in the Timberwolves’ starting five. It also cleaned up the picture behind it, and that may matter most for Joan Beringer.
With Ayo Dosunmu set as the sixth man, Bones Hyland first in line among the guards off the bench and Terrence Shannon Jr. getting the first shot at wing minutes, Minnesota’s reserve rotation suddenly has shape. Beringer, though, looks like the clearest winner of the move because his path is far less crowded than the other young pieces fighting for time.
That matters because Beringer is still early in the climb. He played 314 minutes in 40 appearances for the Timberwolves as a rookie, added 245 minutes in 8 starts with the Iowa Wolves and finished his first pro season with 559 minutes total.
Before that, with Olimpija in 2024-25, he logged 846 minutes in 47 combined EuroCup and ABA games. He also played 147 minutes in 7 games for the U18 French national team in 2024.
All told, Beringer has just 1,552 professional minutes since making the jump from soccer striker to basketball at 17. He has appeared in only 102 games.
By comparison, Isaiah Evans, the Wolves’ top pick this year, played 1,567 minutes in his two seasons at Duke alone. Even with the same age tag, Evans has piled up more basketball through AAU, high school and middle school.
That’s why the Kuminga move helps Beringer so much. It reduces the pressure to force him into a bigger, messier role before he’s ready. Instead of being pushed into a dual-positional job, he can settle in behind Rudy Gobert and grow into a backup big role at a steadier pace.
It also keeps the Wolves from asking too much of him too soon. Trey Lyles can take some of the burden off Beringer at power forward, which means Beringer can keep working on the basics that matter most for a young big: not fouling, finding position and sharpening his footwork on defense. On offense, the assignment is simpler too - play around the rim and keep building touch near the basket.
There’s a bigger team benefit here as well. If Gobert sits and Beringer comes in, Minnesota can keep the same defensive identity because Beringer brings length and rim protection. As his pick-and-roll game develops, the offense should stay steady no matter which center is on the floor.
In theory, that gives the Timberwolves 48 minutes a night at center where the expectations stay the same. No need to redesign the scheme based on who backs up Gobert. No need to reshape the defense for a backup with a much different skill set like Naz Reid.
For Beringer, that kind of stability should lighten the mental load too. He won’t have to bounce between roles or fight different spacing demands every time he checks in.
As his minutes and experience grow, the Wolves can always adjust how they use him. But to start the season, one position and one job should help him settle in.
Kuminga’s arrival brought order to the rotation, and for Beringer, that may be the biggest ripple effect of all. In a season full of unknowns, he now gets a clearer path and a cleaner role. If he can give Minnesota something close to what Gobert provides with the starters while continuing to develop, he could end up one of the biggest beneficiaries of the signing.
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