The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t hiding the fact that this season is going to ask for more from the players around the edges of the roster. The names may look familiar, but the jobs are changing, and that’s where a lot of the real pressure sits.
For head coach Chris Finch, this is the kind of year where the developmental talk stops being a side note and becomes part of the daily reality. In past seasons, criticism often centered on how few young players got consistent run during the regular season.
That was easier to manage with a veteran-heavy group. Now, the Wolves don’t have that luxury.
One of the clearest examples is Joan Beringer. The sophomore French big man went from a player who barely cracked the rotation to someone who should be a major piece behind Rudy Gobert.
Last season, he averaged under 10 minutes per game when he played, and most of his minutes came in blowouts or emergency spots. This year, it would be surprising if he doesn’t clear 20 minutes a night in a frontcourt that doesn’t have much depth.
There’s real intrigue in his game. Beringer moves naturally around the lane, and his athleticism jumps out immediately.
His background as a soccer player shows up in the way he covers ground and reacts on defense. The rim protection is already there, too: he averaged 3.0 blocks per 36 minutes last season, which ranked second on the team.
At the same time, the rough edges are obvious. He averaged five fouls per 36 minutes and had trouble staying vertical in post defense.
He’s only been playing basketball for a few years, so the upside is obvious, but so is the rawness. That makes his ability to stay on the floor one of the biggest swing factors for Minnesota, especially with the signing of Jonathan Kuminga giving the frontcourt some extra depth but not much in the way of true center size behind Gobert and Beringer.
Jaden McDaniels is in a different spot, but the role shift matters just as much. In previous seasons, he could have pushed harder for the clear third-option label, but that would have clashed with how the offense was built next to Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. Whenever the opportunity has opened up, though, he’s shown he can handle it.
That showed up in last year’s playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, when Edwards and Donte DiVencenzo were hurt in the first round. McDaniels stepped into more of a featured role and averaged 19 points on 46% shooting in their absence.
He also took on Jamal Murray defensively and did it in dominant fashion. During the regular season, he hit a career-best 41% from three, even if the shot wasn’t falling as well in the postseason.
Now the path is even clearer. With Julius Randle salary dumped and Naz Reid moving on, there’s room for McDaniels to take on more offensive volume behind a proficient passer in LaMelo Ball.
As the elder statesman, he’s earned the chance to slide into that spot, with Kuminga following behind him. For too long, McDaniels has lived in a quieter offensive role and spent too much time parked in the corners.
This season gives him a chance to do more.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is another player who should see a bigger workload almost by default. He bounced in and out of the rotation last season and then dealt with a longer-term injury that made it hard to get comfortable in the offense. A lot of his usage came in the same corner-heavy setup McDaniels occupied, which muted the part of his game that puts pressure on the rim.
Still, there were signs of what he can be when he gets more freedom. In the regular season, while playing more off the ball, Shannon hit 52% of his shots from less than five feet, though he took fewer than two of those attempts per game.
In the playoffs, that number jumped to nearly five attempts per game, and he shot 55% there. That kind of rim pressure tends to unlock the rest of his game, giving him a better chance to work off the ball once he gets rolling.
This season should give him a more consistent shot at that role with the second unit. The question now is how it all fits with two other ball-dominant players in Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu.
In Other News...
Wolves Are Giving Jules Bernard Another Chance To Force The Issue
The Timberwolves are taking another look at Jules Bernard, giving the free agent guard a non-guaranteed training camp contract as they continue sorting out the edges of the roster. Bernard has already logged NBA time with Washington and previously spent a brief stretch on a two-way deal with Minnesota, though he never got into a game for the Wolves.
The renewed opportunity matters because camp deals can still become something more if a player forces the issue in the right setting. Minnesota is not alone in making those kinds of moves, either, with point guard David Stockton landing a similar arrangement with Phoenix and likely heading to the Suns' G League affiliate after camp, but Bernard now gets one more chance to make his case in front of a team that has already seen enough to bring him back. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Fans Just Got A New Way To Watch All Season
Timberwolves fans looking for a simpler way to follow the team now have a new streaming option as Minnesota has teamed up with DAZN for live and on-demand access to games not picked up for exclusive national broadcasts. The deal also covers preseason action and adds more Timberwolves content through the service, giving local viewers another route to keep up with the club across the long season.
For fans in the Minnesota broadcast market, the setup includes several subscription choices and a free trial through the app, making it easier to sample the service before committing. It is the kind of distribution move that can matter quickly for a fan base that wants consistent access, especially when game nights no longer depend on the same old TV setup. [Read more 🡒]
Why Jonathan Kuminga Really Passed On The Lakers
Jonathan Kumingas new deal with Minnesota gives him a clean reset and a little more control over what comes next. He signed a two-year, $12.4 million contract with a player option for the second season, a structure that matters for a player trying to keep his path flexible as he settles into a new situation with the Timberwolves.
The move also arrived with plenty of chatter about what might have been available elsewhere, including speculation tied to the Lakers. Even with the noise around his decision, the shape of Kumingas Minnesota contract tells the story of a player prioritizing flexibility over a longer commitment, and it leaves the broader market discussion hanging a bit longer than some teams would prefer. [Read more 🡒]