Joan Beringer's importance to the Timberwolves is becoming clearer by the day

Joan Beringer's upside has always been clear; the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted him in the first round as their center of the future last June. Still, it was unclear how much the 19-year-old would be able to contribute this season -- that is, until his impressive rotational debut two weeks ago. Notably, Beringer notched 13 points and five rebounds against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Two games later, he racked up 10 points and eight rebounds against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

However, this wasn't enough for him to earn minutes on a fully healthy team. Beringer played just 13 total minutes in the following three games (which were the backend of a five-game losing streak).

Chris Finch gave Beringer another sizable rotational chance again on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, and once again, he impressed. In 16 minutes, Beringer racked up nine points and four rebounds and finished as a plus-11 on en route to a Wolves win.

Beringer's impact exceeds the stat sheet, though -- he provides the Wolves with some much-needed energy on both ends of the court and helps the team stay afloat with Rudy Gobert off the court. The results are clear -- when Beringer plays, the Wolves are a better team, and they must continue to give him minutes.

Beringer's two-way impact is immense

The rookie big man provides a stellar impact on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he gives Minnesota an efficient source of offense as a rim runner and lob threat. Defensively, he gives them some much-needed rim protection and versatility when Gobert is off the court.

I couldn't be more impressed with how quickly the rookie has acclimated to the NBA. Not only is he one of the league's youngest players, but he just started playing basketball in 2021. I'll be the first to admit I thought this would be a pure development year for the French big man.

Nevertheless, Beringer's defensive instincts and timing when blocking shots make him look like a veteran. Check out this slick block on Caleb Martin during Wednesday's game -- his timing is impeccable, and many experienced players wouldn't be able to make this play.

Offensively, Beringer is almost always in the right spot and does a great job rolling to the rim. He also has fantastic hands and is already a capable short roll passer. How far along he is offensively has perhaps been the most impressive aspect of his play to me. Beringer's energy really stands out on both ends of the floor; he crashes the glass at a high rate and makes hustle plays.

The Wolves need every bit of Beringer's impact. He gives a struggling Wolves' bench a nice source of energy while providing them a path to succeed with Gobert on the bench. The advanced stats back up Beringer's impact. Without Rudy, the Wolves have a 121.4 defensive rating, but with Beringer on the court and Gobert on the bench, Minnesota has a 109.5 DRTG.

This is perhaps the number one reason to play Beringer, and at this point, he should be a clear mainstay of the Wolves' rotation. Despite the need for a backup center, playing Beringer is tricky given the Wolves' loaded frontcourt. On Wednesday, they played Naz Reid at the small forward position more.

Going forward, the Wolves must lean into their positional size more even if it's funky -- Beringer is simply too good not to play regular minutes.