Joan Beringer just showed the Timberwolves exactly what they hoped to see

Heading into summer league, all eyes were on second-year big man Joan Beringer. At least in Minnesota Timberwolves land, that is. One game in, Beringer gave the Wolves nearly everything they could have hoped for. He finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks en route to a 105-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

With Julius Randle and Naz Reid out of town, the Timberwolves will have no choice but to play Beringer. Still, how ready the 19-year-old will be for this opportunity is a reasonable question, and summer league is a clear chance for Beringer to prove that he is ready for a bigger role. 

Thankfully, Beringer showed promise in two key areas: defensive discipline and offensive polish. Listen, it's just one summer league game, and thus overactions are unwise, but it's hard not to feel better about Beringer's outlook for next season after this game.

Joan Beringer shows growth in key areas at summer league

It's always been clear that Beringer is a high-motor big man with athletic gifts who can thrive as a rim runner, rebounder and shot blocker. This helped him make an impact in limited opportunities as a rookie.

Nevertheless, Beringer's defensive discipline is a clear area of improvement, as he averaged 5.4 fouls per 36 minutes in his rookie year. During Thursday's summer league game, though, Beringer committed just two fouls. He did a fantastic job of protecting the rim while not making any unnecessary gambles.

Starting the game as the "power forward" alongside fellow 2025 pick Rocco Zikarsky, Beringer also guarded away from the rim more than he typically does, and he handled this challenge well. Without a doubt, this is a testament to Beringer's defensive versatility and upside.

Offensively, Beringer's athleticism and rim-running abilities were promising in his rookie season. To truly maximize his minutes and impact, though, he needs to show some skill outside of rim-running.

While Beringer did so in flashes last season, the hope was always that he could consistently add some offensive skill to his game. He did just that on Tuesday, showing an increased level of comfort putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket.

This area of his game looked a bit green at times; he shot just 7-for-15 from the field. However, it's undoubtedly a promising sign for his outlook next season. And if he continues to show more polish in this area, I might give him the "too good for summer league" label.

With all due respect to Rudy Gobert (who is still miles ahead of Beringer as a player), it would be beneficial for the Wolves to have a more offensively- slanted center in some situations. Yes, it's only summer league, but Beringer projects to give the Wolves some real offensive juice, and this game is evidence of that.

All in all, Beringer's first summer league as a second-year player should offer the Timberwolves plenty of confidence that he can be a nightly contributor, and it's hard to have any real gripes with his performance.

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