Look, I'm a big believer in Joan Beringer. He has plenty of upside on both ends of the floor and should be a viable backup to Rudy Gobert. However, a lot of the Minnesota Timberwolves' season hinges on Beringer making a second-year leap, and if he doesn't, their frontcourt depth could be a fatal flaw.
Despite Beringer's undeniable upside, he doesn't turn 20 until November and has a fairly raw skill set. As such, there's a possibility that he's not ready for regular minutes.
Trey Lyles (who is a natural power forward and was out of the league last season) and Rocco Zikarsky (a two-way contract player who is even less polished than Beringer) are the Wolves' only other bench big men. Meaning if Beringer isn't ready, the Timberwolves will be in a rough spot.
It's not a certainty that Joan Beringer will thrive in a scaled-up role
Beringer is a freaky athlete, and he flashed his upside in limited minutes last season. And by making trades to clear out minutes for Beringer, the Timberwolves clearly have a ton of confidence in him.
Still, there's plenty of room for Beringer to improve to be a quality backup. Firstly, Beringer needs to become a more disciplined defender. He averaged an alarming 5.4 fouls per 36 minutes. If his foul woes continue, that will naturally make it hard for him to stay on the court. Furthermore, opposing teams will attack him if he continues to be so block-happy without improving his timing.
While it looks like Beringer has bulked up, his listed weight of 230 pounds is rather thin for a center. Likewise, his one-on-one defense and physicality need to improve.
The Timberwolves' non-Gobert minutes have been disastrous in recent years. Last season, Minnesota's defense was 11.8 points per 100 possessions worse with Gobert off the court, per Cleaning the Glass. If Beringer can't be a positive defender, this problem is primed to continue.
A lack of bench rim protection and, more generally, frontcourt depth could derail the Timberwolves' title chances, especially given the strong frontcourts of other top-tier teams. Sure, the Wolves could trade for a center at the deadline if things aren't looking great, but they don't have many assets.
Offensively, Beringer's speed and athleticism gave the Timberwolves a clear boost. Additionally, he showcased strong hands and rim-running chops. Can Beringer be an efficient scorer around the rim and a consistent offensive threat? We'll have to see how that plays out over the course of a season.
Again, there's a lot to like about Beringer's game and certainly his long-term upside. Regardless, counting on an unproven young player always has some level of volatility attached to it. At the very least, some growing pains can be expected on both sides of the ball.
Unfortunately, if things go south, the Timberwolves will be forced to ride the lows with Beringer since they don't have another viable backup center option.
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