The Timberwolves used the 17th overall pick on Wednesday night to select 18-year-old French center Joan Beringer, a developmental prospect who most recently played for Slovenian club Cedevita Olimpija.
Beringer, who doesn't turn 19 in November, is a long-term upside swing by Tim Connelly and the Minnesota front office. He only started playing basketball seriously in 2021, when he was 14 years old, after growing up playing soccer. The Wolves believe that Beringer, who stands somewhere in the 6'10"-7'0" range with a 7'4" wingspan, has immense potential as an ultra-athletic big man who can block shots and finish at the rim.
Joan Beringer leads the Adriatic League in block % (6th in EuroCup) at 18, while making an increasingly strong impact vs high-level competition. Quick off his feet with impressive mobility, there's a lot to like long-term with his 7'4 wingspan and late-blooming profile. pic.twitter.com/PgfrZXnrAO
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) January 18, 2025
The fact that Beringer will get to learn from Rudy Gobert in Minnesota feels pretty ideal for his development moving forward. He won't be a draft-and-stash player, per reports, which means he'll come over and begin his NBA career in this upcoming season.
"I will give everything for you," Beringer told Timberwolves reporters on a conference call. "I will give my energy, my defense and I want to improve to be the best ... I’m very happy to have the chance to play for Minnesota."
What do NBA draft analysts think of the pick? Let's take a look at some reactions and grades.
"This is like the easiest pick in the world," Vecenie said on his live YouTube draft show. "Beringer is a real developmental player. He is an incredible athlete. Like an unbelievable athlete. 6-foot-11, 7-foot-5 wingspan, super long arms, great hands — catches everything in his area. Moves like a wing. Moves at a level that no other big in this class really achieves.
"He's just very raw. It's gonna take some time. There is legitimately no better player for Beringer to learn from in the NBA than Rudy Gobert, because this is the exact archetype. This is exactly what it is. So I think this is a great pick from Tim Connelly. I think it makes a ton of sense, and I am a huge fan of what they've done here."
"He's very young. He doesn't turn 19 until November and has only played for a few years. But he's just under 7-feet without shoes and has better than a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He's an extreme athlete with excellent mobility and good hands. His archetype is a rim-running shot blocker and lob threat. That's very valued in today's NBA. In Minnesota, Beringer gets to learn under Rudy Gobert -- and could potentially take over for him a few years down the road. That's a great succession plan at the center spot."
"The production is still catching up to the potential with Beringer, but for a player as new to the game as Beringer is, the flashes are appealing. He was effective particularly on the defensive end in the Adriatic League and has elite upside on that end of the floor as a rim protector. He’ll get to learn under another French shot blocker in Rudy Gobert."
"Beringer has freaky physical tools as a 7-foot wingspan with sick athleticism. He’s a rim-running/rim-protecting big man who now gets to be tutored by a French legend in Rudy Gobert. This isn’t my favorite archetype for a center, but Beringer will be allowed to grow slowly in Minnesota. This is a pick with an eye on the future."
"He's one of the rawest projects in the entire draft. Makes you wonder what the Wolves' plan is with the other bigs on the roster, notably Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle. Beringer dunks everything around the basket. He's a rim protector and has shown improvement in other aspects of his defense. An area he'll need to improve on is he was a hackable player you didn't fear sending to the free-throw line. He's a worker, though, and wants to get better."
"This is good value for the Timberwolves, even if they don’t have an obvious opening at center unless Naz Reid bolts in free agency. This draft turned center-heavy at the No. 10 pick, yet Joan Beringer somehow fell to No. 17. That feels like mistakes were made by at least a few teams selecting other centers. Between Beringer’s physical tools and the potential tied to them, he shouldn’t have been on the board anymore. As an added bonus, the Wolves need to give him exactly zero minutes until he’s ready to handle them since they have that aforementioned frontcourt depth.
The sales pitch with Beringer is pretty easy and essentially all told in numbers and measurements: 6'11" with a 7'4" wingspan and 18 years old until mid-November. He has room to grow his game—and noticeably lacks polish—but there's already a simple rim-running projection here with the added utility of being comfortable and capable of defending in space. He still needs to fill out his narrow frame, and his lack of awareness might be more easily exploited in the Association, at least early in his NBA career. But he'll be a plug-and-play lob threat and might have All-Defensive potential if everything breaks right with his development."