What to Expect of Joan Beringer in His Expanded Role With Timberwolves

Joan Beringer isn't talked about by people in the Timberwolves organization like other young players have been in years past.

Ask about Rob Dillingham a couple of years ago? Expectations were tempered. Terrence Shannon Jr.? He earned minutes, but inconsistency was obvious, and he was drafted as an older rookie. None of those really have been the case with Beringer.

An athletic freak who was seen as a project, the first-round pick of the Wolves in 2025 seemed to draw immediate praise from everyone across the Wolves organization. From head coach Chris Finch to general manager Matt Lloyd to President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, rave reviews came from across the board on his work ethic and potential. His background in playing soccer helps him navigate space on the blocks, and his physical traits immediately jump off the page.

"I think one of my favorite moments is we had a pickup game in here, he got a defensive rebound, dribbled the length of the floor, changed directions twice, and finished over the top," Lloyd gushed at his post-draft media availability in June. "We talked about his ability to learn; he's a quick learner, and we're still very, very high on Joan."

With the multitude of moves made this offseason, leaving the Wolves thin in the frontcourt, it leaves Beringer in a spot where his fast learning will need to be thrust into overdrive. He will certainly be getting at least 20 minutes a night off the bench as the Wolves' primary backup big.

Giannis-like stories aside, what is to be expected amidst all of the hype surrounding what could be the best draft pick under Connelly thus far?

Joan Beringer saves the ball — Beringer's defense is a foundation in which he can build his game on. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Back to square one

Heading into the season, it's fair to expect Beringer to be a good shot-blocker and build off of what he flashed last season. He was third on the Wolves in blocks per 36 minutes, playing 314 total minutes last season. He moves extremely fluidly and was comfortable guarding on the perimeter. It's harder to say what the Wolves will do with their bench unit, but using Beringer in switching situations when he's on the floor next to Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels makes a lot of sense.

In times when he's on the floor next to Bones Hyland, he's shown proficiency in drop coverage to do that as well.

Joan Beringer PnR block pic.twitter.com/GS9xrk3rWL
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 13, 2026

The issue becomes how often he's able to stay on the floor. On the other side of the defensive conversation, Beringer led the Wolves in fouls per 36 minutes, averaging 5.4. That's an extraordinary foul rate. He often gets caught bear-hugging post players and lacks verticality, while getting caught in the air on many occasions as well while going for blocks. There is certainly going to be a learning curve once that makes it into scouting reports as he becomes a regular, but Beringer could certainly rise to be a very good defender throughout the course of the season given his quick learning ability.

Offensively is where it gets fun.

Beringer has a keen sense of space on the floor, better than his starting counterpart in Rudy Gobert. It's clear his time as a striker playing soccer helped him understand space and manipulate defense. His navigation of the blocks and working off of screens is already at an excellent level. He also catches everything.

Joan Beringer PnR lob layup pic.twitter.com/geMefb4vMX
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 13, 2026

With a willing lob thrower in Hyland off the bench and gravity created by Shannon, Beringer should have space to work with. When operating with LaMelo Ball, it's self-explanatory, and his ability to catch pocket passes sparked chemistry between him and Edwards.

Ultimately, Beringer is going to have an extremely up-and-down first three months as a full member of the rotation. He's still extremely raw, but the improvement shown over the course of a calendar year leaves you wondering what's to come. He showed previews of it in his spot start against the Bucks in February, and it's fair to assume good things from him this coming season.

Bumps along the road incorporated, the Wolves finally have room in the rotation for a promising young player to play; until this point, that was half the battle.

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