While his upside is immense, it was always clear that it would take Joan Beringer some time to find his footing in the NBA, especially on a competitive Minnesota Timberwolves team. With Beringer playing just 37 total minutes in nine games, it felt likely that he would be moved down to the G League at some point, and on Tuesday, this move finally happened.
NEWS: @Timberwolves assign center Joan Beringer to G League affiliate @iawolves.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) December 9, 2025
Beringer will be available for Iowa's game on Friday against Motor City.
Chris Finch hinted at this decision a few weeks ago, and as time went on, it started to feel inevitable. The rookie big man couldn't crack the rotation, with the Wolves struggling in the non-Rudy Gobert minutes and not having a natural backup rim protector.
If he wasn't going to play in Minnesota, it only felt logical to send Beringer down to Iowa. Frankly, having Beringer sit on an NBA bench isn't that helpful. At some point, Beringer needs to play minutes to properly develop, and that's exactly what he'll be able to do in the G League. With the realization that he wasn't going to play NBA minutes, I think most Wolves fans hoped to see Beringer spend some time in Iowa.
As Beringer just started playing basketball in 2021, getting some reps in the G League will be especially beneficial to him.
Sending Beringer to the G League is a great decision
Some fans might be dramatic about this decision, as Beringer was the 17th overall pick back in June. However, let's not kid ourselves, it was always clear that Beringer was more of a project player than a plug-and-play guy.
If Beringer were a 23-year-old player who spent four or even five years in college, this might be concerning. In reality, though, Beringer just turned 19 and played soccer for most of his life. Real game reps are exactly what Beringer needs to progress and reach his ceiling.
Despite his incredible flashes of upside, in the NBA Summer League (2.5 blocks per game), I always thought Beringer playing meaningful minutes on a competitive Wolves squad was unlikely. With that being said, there's no denying his archetype is intriguing. Beringer is a high-level shot blocker with impressive mobility. As a versatile shot blocker with rim-running abilities on offense, Beringer is the perfect center of the future for Minnesota.
Still, this has always been a multi-year plan. The hope is that Beringer can be a real rotational player next year and certainly the following season. Developing in the G League is simply part of the process for Beringer.