Jonathan Kuminga's Arrival Clarifies Joan Beringer’s Role With Timberwolves

The lack of experience factors into the Kuminga signing because of the amount of pressure the roster move takes off of Beringer.

Timberwolves fans have a better idea of what to expect from Joan Beringer now that Jonathan Kuminga is with the team. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The signing of Jonathan Kuminga all but finalized the Timberwolves' starting rotation. He also brings clarity to Minnesota's bench rotation. Ayo Dosunmu will be the sixth man; Bones Hyland will be the first guard off the bench. Terrence Shannon Jr. will get the first crack at the wing minutes off the line, and Joan Beringer will be the bench big. 

For Beringer, the clarity of his role in the rotation will likely be the most impactful, though. Dosunmu, Hyland and Shannon—along with other bench pieces like Trey Lyles and Jaylen Clark—have all been young players off the bench scrapping for a role. Beringer, however, for the most part, hasn’t.

Joan Beringer's outlook after the Jonatham Kuminga signing

Beringer logged just 314 minutes in his rookie season across 40 appearances with the Timberwolves. He also logged 245 minutes in 8 starts for the Iowa Wolves. That's just 559 minutes total in his rookie year. Going back to his professional season with Olimpija in 2024-25 before being drafted, he played just 846 minutes in 47 games combined(EuroCup and ABA). Digging a little deeper, Beringer played 147 minutes in 7 games for the U18 French national team in 2024. 

This gives Beringer a grand total of 1,552 logged professional minutes since switching from a soccer striker to a basketball player at age 17. He’s also only appeared in 102 games.

For context, Isaiah Evans—the Wolves' top pick this year—played 1567 minutes in his two seasons at Duke alone. Despite being the same age, Evans has played competitive basketball in the AAU circuit, in high school and middle school. 

The lack of experience factors into the Kuminga signing because of the amount of pressure the roster move takes off Beringer. It allows Beringer to transition more smoothly into the rotation. He will have the opportunity to earn his minutes behind Gobert and slowly be implemented into a backup big role. 

Joan Beringer can likely breathe a lot easier now that Jonathan Kuminga will take some pressure off his shoulders. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The calls for him to start won’t be as loud, and Lyles can realistically alleviate some pressure on Beringer to be forced to play at power forward. This lets Beringer continue to work on what all new basketball players must work on. Not fouling, positioning, and footwork on defense. Offensively, it will allow him to play to his strengths around the rim and continue developing touch around the basket. 

Most importantly, it will allow the lineup combinations that Finch uses to rely on the same principles. If Gobert subs out at center and Beringer checks in, they will be able to play a similar defensive style due to Beringer’s length and rim defense. Offensively, as Beringer develops into a better pick-and-roll player, the offense should function smoothly regardless of which center is in the game. 

For the Timberwolves, this, in theory, gives them 48 minutes a night in which they know what is expected from their center position. They won’t have to scheme the position depending on who is playing behind Gobert or change the defense to fit the strengths of a considerably different backup like Naz Reid. It simplifies the entire position for the team. 

For Beringer, this is important because it takes off some of the mental workload of being dual-positional. He won’t have to fight different spacing concepts or different roles that are expected of him if he is playing primarily one position as the backup. As Berlinger racks up more experience and minutes, adjustments can always be made to how he is used and deployed, but at the start of the season, positional stability should help him find a rhythm. 

The Kuminga signing brought certainty to the starting lineup, but also brought clarity for Beringer. In a season that has a lot of unknowns. Beringer enters the year as one of the most inexperienced players off the Wolves bench, and thanks to Kuminga, he will now be asked to play just one position.

If Beringer is able to replicate what Gobert does for the starting lineup and continue to develop in a now-defined role, he might be one of the most positively impacted by the Kuminga signing.

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