Timberwolves' Joan Beringer shows he's ready to fill role vacated by Naz Reid

Timberwolves’ Joan Beringer shows he’s ready to fill role vacated by Naz Reid originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Joan Beringer is in that pivotal NBA Summer League spot between his first and second NBA seasons.

It’s time for him to dominate in a Minnesota Timberwolves to carve out a rotation spot when the season arrives.

So far, so good.

Beringer put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on Thursday night in a Summer League-opening win in Vegas for the Timberwolves.

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He shot 7-for-15 from the floor, so not perfect, but everything else he did had quite the impact on the game.

This is likely, at least in part, what the Wolves wanted to see from Beringer.

It was always pretty clear he’d protect the rim. If he scores the ball, too, Minnesota will benefit greatly.

This has also been a fascinating offseason for the frontcourt in Minnesota. Julius Randle was traded away, and then Naz Reid was, too.

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Rudy Gobert obviously can keep holding down the inside, and that might limit Beringer’s overall usage in the season ahead, too.

Eventually, though, Beringer is going to get a real crack, and it should come a bit more this year with no Randle or Reid.

And when you look at Beringer’s game, it really does feel like he can help the whole future look brighter in Minnesota.

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