Jonas Valanciunas' preseason outing should remind Wolves fans of a former player

The 17th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Joan Beringer showed his potential on both ends of the floor in his preseason debut. In Saturday’s 126-116 win over the Nuggets, the rookie finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in 23 minutes. It is evident that he is still raw, though (turns 19 on November 11) especially because he hasn't even been playing the sport for all that long.

To start his career, he had moments where Jonas Valanciunas, now playing for Denver, was bullying him in the post. It was reminiscent of a former Wolves big man, Nikola Pekovic, who did similar work inside during his Minnesota tenure.

Joan Beringer had much difficulty guarding Jonas Valanciunas down low

Listed at 6-foot-11, 265 lbs., Valanciunas is quite a large man. Entering his 14th NBA season, he has averaged double figures in scoring every year after his rookie one. Much of his damage on offense comes from bullying defenders down low, as they do not have an answer to keep him from getting a great position.

That’s what Beringer experienced a few times against the 33-year-old Lithuanian. It can be seen as a ‘welcome to the NBA’ moment for the rookie. Now, not every team is going to have a Valanciunas (or Nikola Jokic, for that matter) who will give Beringer that much difficulty due to their strength. It may be difficult to play him in games where he faces a similar player, though.

Timberwolves fans who watched Saturday’s preseason opener may have seen similarities between Valanciunas and a former player of theirs. Nikola Pekovic was an immovable object with Minnesota, who unfortunately had his career end prematurely due to injury.

Nikola Pekovic was a force with the Timberwolves

Selected in the second round (31st overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft, Pekovic joined the Timberwolves in 2010. He would play 6 seasons in the NBA, all with Minnesota.

Listed at 6-foot-11, 307 lbs, there just really weren’t any players that could keep Pekovic from finding his way inside. He left defenders bruised and tired within minutes of guarding him. His two most productive years came in 2012-13 and 2013-14, where he combined to average 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Ankle and Achilles injuries unfortunately helped limit Pekovic’s NBA career to only 271 games. It’s a shame because he was on his way to being a perennial top 10 center in the league.