On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves recalled rookie Joan Beringer from a brief stint in the G League. At first, I didn't think much of this decision -- the Iowa Wolves don't play until Friday, so it makes sense for Beringer to spend some time with the NBA squad. Furthermore, he hasn't played meaningful minutes all season, so I didn't see why that would change.
However, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic said on Twitter (X) that Beringer "May not be far away" from competitive minutes.
May not be far away
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) January 6, 2026
Krawczynski quickly confirmed this is more about the need for extra rim protection than an impending Julius Randle or Naz Reid trade. Chris Finch's hesitancy to play Beringer has frustrated Timberwolves fans, especially given the struggles in the non-Rudy minutes. Krawczynski is as reliable as it gets when it comes to Timberwolves coverage. Thus, it's certainly notable that he thinks Beringer could soon get competitive minutes.
The Timberwolves' non-Gobert minutes highlight the need for Beringer
The Timberwolves' non-Gobert minutes couldn't be worse defensively. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Wolves have a 124.2 defensive rating when Gobert sits, a far cry from the 108 defensive rating they have with him on the court. For reference, the Wolves' defense translates to the second-best DRTG with Gobert and the 30th without him.
Beringer's main selling point as a prospect was his rim protection. In his seven G League games, he has averaged 11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. Frankly, it's hard to imagine that Beringer would make the Wolves' defense worse than it already is in the non-Gobert minutes.
While the 19-year-old is still very raw, it would be worth it for the Wolves to see what they have with him, and it's fair to expect he'll get minutes next season. Why not rip off the band-aid and start now?
As mentioned, Krawczynski said Beringer playing soon doesn't have to do with a possible trade. Nevertheless, if the Wolves do make a trade involving Randle or Reid, Beringer would have to play. Given this possibility, it would be foolish not to know what you have with your recent first-round pick.
The best-case scenario is that the Wolves find a sustainable solution to the non-Rudy minutes, something that would undoubtedly change their ceiling. If Beringer proves to be too raw, at least he gets some opportunity to develop on an NBA court, and the Wolves know what he has to work on.
Ultimately, it's unclear how soon (if at all) Beringer will get real minutes, but Krawczynski's update certainly makes this seem like a real possibility in the near future.