Chris Finch is arguably the best coach in Minnesota Timberwolves history—either him or Flip Saunders. The franchise has experienced sustained success that it had never achieved before his arrival.
One thing that has been pointed out, though, is that Finch doesn’t play the young guys all that much. That seems as if it will have to change in the upcoming season. With the way the roster is currently set up, Joan Beringer is primed to be the first big off the bench.
Beringer in line to be a rare young player to have a set playing role under Finch
Turning 20 years old on November 11, Beringer was selected 17th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. As someone who hasn’t been playing the sport all that long, he was seen as a project with loads of potential, especially on the defensive end.
As a rookie, Beringer didn’t see much time on the floor. All three of the frontcourt players ahead of him in the pecking order—Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid—rarely missed games. Of course, the latter two are now gone, which will thrust Beringer into a much larger role.
Playing young players hasn’t exactly been a calling card of Finch’s during his coaching stint. Now, you can mention that he played both Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels quite a bit when they were rookies, but they already had established roles when Finch became the head coach midway through the 2020–21 season. Plus, Edwards was the first overall pick, so of course he was going to play.
Two young players recently with the Timberwolves were Leonard Miller and Josh Minott. Miller was traded to the Chicago Bulls in February and was granted regular minutes from the get-go. Minott saw playing time with both the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets last season. Both played well in spurts after leaving Minnesota, and the Wolves could use either of them, as they have a gaping hole at power forward.
That brings us back to Beringer. Finch really has no choice but to play him this year. Sure, he can have Trey Lyles back up Rudy Gobert, but Beringer provides much better rim protection. There was enough shown by Beringer in his 314 minutes as a rookie to know this.
So, how comfortable will Finch feel giving Beringer significant minutes? Reid averaged 26.4 minutes per game last year as a reserve. Beringer may not need to receive that many, but he is still in line for a substantial role.
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