The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted a rookie who “moves like a star”, and he could one day replace Rudy Gobert, according to Kevin O’Connor.
The Timberwolves have fallen a round short of the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons, losing to the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals in the last two years.
Led by superstar Anthony Edwards, they have made big offseason swings in an attempt to contend for a championship. They have been unable to overcome the league’s best in the postseason, however.
But a promising rookie, who impressed in the Summer League, represents hope for their bright future.
Joan Beringer was called “a ball of clay” by Timberwolves General Manager Matt Lloyd after the draft. It’s an apt analogy for a player who started playing organized hoops just four years ago.
At 6’11”, the Frenchman is poised to be an elite rim-protector and paint presence, and he showed exactly that in the Summer League. He blocked seven shots in his debut, which tied a Summer League record.
His Timberwolves teammate, Rob Dillingham, said he was going to be “special,” and he has recently gained praise from an analyst.
Reporter Nate Tice, on The Kevin O’Connor Show, said, “He moves like a star. I cross-pollinate and try to study other things; he moves like a star. So I’m like, ‘Okay, I know he’s 18, he’s the fourth big this year, whatever.’ I’m good with this.
“This guy does not move like an 18-year-old who’s growing into his body and figuring out his limbs. This guy moves like the really good players move.
“I know there’s a really long way to go, but I’m like, yeah, that was fun. That was a fun Summer League for an 18-year-old that I barely watched five minutes of before the draft.”
Minnesota have made significant changes at center in recent seasons, but Beringer could give them some stability there moving forward.
The Timberwolves experimented with a two-big man line-up in 2024, featuring Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. That worked well, bringing them to the Western Conference Finals, but Minnesota then moved on from Karl-Anthony Towns, sending him to the Knicks.
That left them with Gobert, who was widely criticized in the 2024 playoffs for his lack of effectiveness on both ends of the court. Luka Doncic hit an iconic game-winner over Gobert, a defensive specialist, in the Conference Finals.
Gobert played well in the 2025 playoffs. He put up 27 points and 24 rebounds in a legendary performance, which sent the Los Angeles Lakers home in the first round. But a poor series against the Thunder has left the same question marks over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Gobert signed a three-year, $109.5 million contract with the Timberwolves, making him a difficult asset to move on from. But O’Connor believes Beringer provides a long-term solution.
He said, “He’s really, really raw. He looked like a guy that you can feel good about in the future. With Gobert, he’s become untradeable, yet you still need Rudy Gobert with his defense to be anything relevant on the defensive end of the floor.
“If Beringer and these guys eventually become quality NBA players, it gives them more flexibility if they build around Dillingham, Edwards, and [Terrence] Shannon and these guys in years to come.”
They have a talented young cast, led by a potential MVP candidate in Edwards. Beringer could be yet another addition to their growing list of budding stars.
If their players develop to their potential, the Timberwolves could find themselves in the same position as the Thunder in a few years with an elite, homegrown roster.
