Key Takeaways From Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League: Joan Beringer, Rocco Zikarsky, Two-Way Contract Questions

Over the last several years, Las Vegas Summer League has been a testing ground for young Timberwolves players honing their craft and developing new skills in hopes of earning a rotation spot. From Jaden McDaniels playing on the ball in 2021 to Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark making the case for minutes over the past few editions of the Summer Wolves, we've been treated to a stretch of rosters with a great deal of NBA talent.

This year's squad, however, only had two players on standard NBA deals: Joan Beringer, last year's first-round draft selection, and Isaiah Evans, this year's top draft selection. Everyone else was either on a two-way contract, a G League player or an undrafted rookie.

While the stakes were decidedly lower—at least in terms of the Timberwolves' rotation—there were still several important storylines to keep an eye on in Vegas.

Joan Beringer shows out in brief summer stint

Beringer played in just 40 games with the Timberwolves last year after being selected with the No. 17 overall pick. He did not play any non-garbage time minutes until mid-January, following Rudy Gobert's suspension due to accruing his sixth flagrant-foul point of the season. When Gobert was suspended again two months later, Beringer made his first NBA start, only to foul out in 16 minutes of action.

Beringer played rotation minutes here and there during the second half of the season. Ultimately, his body of work across 314 minutes played was strong for a 19-year-old who has played competitive basketball for under a half decade. The jettisoning of two-thirds of last year's frontcourt in one fell swoop early this summer indicated that, at least on some level, the front office is encouraged by Beringer's progress.

The Frenchman is already a versatile defender with switchability on the perimeter and makes a genuine impact on opposing offenses in the paint. The majority of Beringer's defensive skill set is already ready for primetime, save for his penchant for foul trouble — hardly a surprise for a still-19-year-old.

On offense, however, his impact has been limited to being a handful on the offensive glass and the occasional lob dunk. Coming into Summer League, it was fair to wonder if the Wolves would intentionally place the ball in his hands more often, perhaps with a greater volume of pick-and-rolls or even coming off screens. Unfortunately, Beringer only played in the opener in Las Vegas due to back tightness. But he played well, and fans were treated to even a small glimpse of how Beringer has continued to expand the tools in his toolkit.

While Beringer put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, it was the seven defensive rebounds that stuck out the most for a player who was often bumped off his spot and out-physicaled on the defensive glass during his rookie season. Beyond the box score, there was a play in which the Wolves ran a set to get Beringer the ball at the top of the circle. Beringer drove hard down the lane, absorbed contact, and completed an old-fashioned three-point play — a tantalizing reminder of how talented the teenage big man is and just how high his ceiling remains.

Rocco Zikarsky's steady growth

Zikarsky played in only five NBA games last season as a 19-year-old. He ended up appearing in 43 games with the G League's Iowa Wolves last year as the Timberwolves sought to get him as many reps as possible.

The 7-foot-3 Australian has more shooting range than Beringer and an equally impressive wingspan, but his game is much less developed on both ends of the floor, both from an overall "feel" perspective and a fluidity and speed standpoint.

Indeed, the biggest thing to watch in Vegas was Zikarsky's overall feel, from screen-setting and roll timing to how he defended the pick-and-roll on the other side of the floor. The early results were rocky (6-for-22 shooting with six turnovers and only 11 rebounds combined across the first two games), but things improved as his time in Vegas wore on. The shot came around in the third game despite some continued defensive lapses but by the final two games, Zikarsky looked much more comfortable.

The combination of size and shooting touch is rare, and while the largest roadblock to minutes right now is probably lack of consistency on the glass and the aforementioned pick-and-roll defense, the upside is clear. Zikarsky is not in danger of losing his two-way contract spot, but don't expect him to challenge for rotation time at all this season. Instead, he'll surely spend much of another season in Des Moines.

Isaiah Evans' volatile Wolves debut

The Timberwolves traded back from pick No. 28 in this year's draft to No. 33 for a variety of reasons, chief among them the salary cap savings that come with moving down five slots and from the first to the second round. But the depth of the draft class is the other reason the Wolves felt comfortable with such a move.

Isaiah Evans was often mocked in the final few picks of the first round as a strong movement shooter with good length. Evans can shoot the ball out of all play types, excelling in catch-and-shoot opportunities and showing promise in dribble hand-off actions. The floor of what Evans should be on offense at the NBA level is an above-average shooter. There are defensive question marks, but his length helps, and he has some additional upside on offense as well when it comes to creating for himself off the dribble.

Evans didn't play in the first Vegas game while awaiting the draft night trade that brought him to the Wolves to be finalized. He then proceeded to miss his first 16 shots from outside the arc across the next two-plus games before getting hot midway through his third appearance. That performance ended up being more about volume (22 points on 22 shots) and there wasn't much else of substance, but it at least offered a glimpse into what Evans can bring to the table.

With the likes of Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland, and Josh Green all occupying roles ahead of Evans in the backcourt, it's unlikely that the rookie will be replied upon this season. Evans recently signed a four-year deal with the first three years guaranteed, so he'll have plenty of opportunities in 2027-28 and beyond to prove he belongs.

Could the final two-way contract spot be in flux?

The Timberwolves' three two-way contract slots are currently occupied by Zikarsky, Zyon Pullin and Enrique Freeman. It's highly unlikely that the Wolves would choose to move on from Zikarsky, and Pullin was the best player on the floor during the majority of Summer League. Given the aforementioned backcourt depth, it would be a surprise if Pullin were elevated to a standard contract, and at the moment he looks like one of the league's biggest luxuries to have on a two-way deal.

Freeman could be the odd man out. Three years ago, the Wolves began the season with Matt Ryan on a two-way deal and waived him in late October to sign Daishen Nix. The following year, the Wolves started with Nix on a two-way and let him go when they claimed Tristen Newton on waivers. Just last season, the Wolves ended the summer with Newton on a two-way deal and waived him at the end of training camp in favor of Johnny Juzang.

Freeman was dominant in his fourth and fifth years at the University of Akron but is ultimately an undersized power forward at the NBA level who doesn't quite shoot it well enough or have any other skills that stand out this side of rebounding and hustle plays — valuable, but limited in their impact given his size and lack of offensive upside.

Nate Santos, on the other hand, shot the ball extremely well in Summer League and was solid for Iowa last year after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Timberwolves. He's 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and would qualify as a movement shooter with size. It's an NBA-ready skill, and one that would be useful in a pinch for this version of the Timberwolves.

At the moment, my money would be on the Wolves remaining in a holding pattern until closer to the fall. If another team pops up with interest in Santos on a two-way deal, don't be surprised if the Wolves waive Freeman and slide Santos into the vacated two-way spot to avoid losing him to another team.

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