Timberwolves Giving Joan Beringer Perfect Push Before the Season

You’ve probably heard the narrative against Chris Finch.

For all the winning the Timberwolves have done under his control—five playoff appearances, three advances out of the first round, and two Conference Finals runs—there is one thing that many fans hold against him:

Finch cannot or does not want to develop young talent.

It is true that Finch has historically kept a tight leash on young players in his system, which can harm their development. However, much of the young talent Finch has had at his disposal (such as Rob Dillingham, Josh Minott, and Leonard Miller, all of whom are on different teams) has come with serious flaws, primarily on defense.

Finch is also trying to maximize every minute of every game in a way that promotes Minnesota as a legit title contender. Sometimes, that mission comes at the expense of young players getting to play through mistakes.

Other times, however, positional need forces Finch to loosen that leash. And that will be the case this season with Minnesota’s 2025 first-round pick, Joan Beringer. Finch and the Wolves will give Beringer a much larger role this season, but they are still giving him an adequate push, which will mean good things for both him and the team.

How big will Beringer’s margin for error be?

The Wolves wanted to find ways to get Beringer more minutes this season after the 19-year-old big man impressed in a limited capacity last season. The opportunity for Beringer to join Finch’s rotation presented itself after Julius Randle landed in Brooklyn and Naz Reid in Charlotte.

Beringer will be backing up Rudy Gobert this season. The duo of French natives forms the only two legitimate fives on the roster, aside from Rocco Zikarsky, who did not look good in the Las Vegas Summer League, and Trey Lyles, who is 6’10” but might play more as a power forward.

Finch’s need for Beringer to be productive this season is very high. Outside of Gobert, Minnesota lacks tools to guard the rim and rebound, as it has for the majority of Gobert’s time with the Wolves. However, Beringer—with his athletic, versatile defense and bouncy rebounding—could be the reliable backup to Gobert that Finch has rarely had at his disposal. The Wolves believe Beringer is ready to take that leap. But they also know young players inevitably have ups and downs, and Beringer will be no different.

“Is it self-imposed inconsistency or is it just young-player-growth inconsistency?” Finch said in a recent interview with Britt Robson. “I think with Joan you are certainly going to have the latter. The former — he plays so hard; he’s got incredible balance and energy. He’s got to figure out the balance of retaining the effort while regulating wanting to go after everything all the time.”

Timberwolves NBA Joan Beringer — Joan Beringer is a fearless defender who wants to block every shot, but he must refine his approach to maximize his impact this season for the Timberwolves. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Beringer will play an important role for the Wolves this season. He will be in the rotation when the team opens the season in Miami on Oct. 21, but Finch is holding Beringer to the same high standard he holds other young players—a standard that reflects the team’s goals.

Does that mean Finch will pull Beringer quickly after one defensive mistake? I don’t think so, because Minnesota’s positional need for Beringer to be productive is far too great. At the same time, Finch and Minnesota’s coaching staff will be pushing Beringer, who has already shown flashes of being a quality backup big man. Now, the Wolves are hoping he can supercharge those flashes into a complete game of high-voltage plays.

Of course, Beringer must keep that voltage—the high energy levels that make him such an intriguing player—tuned appropriately. Above all else, Beringer must do everything in his power to stay on the floor.

What will take Beringer off the floor this year?

Beringer will have a bigger margin for error than many young players in Finch’s system, but Finch will have no choice but to sit Beringer on the bench when his constantly hard, energetic playstyle leads to foul trouble.

“He always ends up on the ground, you know?” Finch said to Robson. “And oftentimes takes himself out of position by being overly aggressive. But learning to dial that back is better than the other way around, trying to ramp somebody up all the time.”

Chances are, Beringer will end up in foul trouble this season. How often that happens will largely make or break how successful his season will be.

In his interview with Robson, Finch said Beringer struggled last season when he had too much opportunity because his overzealous playstyle forced him off the court quickly. And Finch knows that leaning too hard on Beringer could be damaging.

“Somebody who plays the way he plays, you are just putting him in harm’s way if you plan to play him 30 minutes a night,” Finch said. “Until he learns.”

Beringer is always dialed up. We have seen enough from him to say that, talent-wise, Beringer is ready to be an every-night NBA player in some capacity. But if he can’t stay on the court, then Finch will be forced to turn to his already thin frontcourt to find Gobert’s backup.

Finch will probably call on Lyles. Or maybe the Wolves fill their final roster spot with a guy like Kevin Love, who is 6’10”, played primarily as a center last year in Utah, and can still rebound and shoot effectively.

Or maybe none of this matters

Finch speaks as if he expects Beringer to struggle to a certain extent, which is more than plausible. There is a world where Beringer remains an overzealous defender, and that lands him on the bench too often. But equally plausible is a world where Beringer overcomes those concerns with his flashy foot speed and captivating athleticism.

Joan! pic.twitter.com/zrQ6T1zOME
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) April 11, 2026

Beringer has proven to be a wickedly fast learner. He got good grades last season, looking like the brainiac freshman taking college-level algebra in high school. Who is to say that won’t continue this season?

Perhaps Beringer develops into the type of player that the Wolves not only have confidence to play consistent regular-season minutes, but also take on All-Star-caliber matchups in the playoffs. And maybe Beringer shines so bright in that larger role that he looks like Gobert’s replacement.

That might all be on the table for the teenager as soon as this season. But the journey begins with Beringer fine-tuning his high-voltage energy and thriving under the high standards that Finch and the Wolves have set up for him.

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