Joan Beringer forces the Timberwolves into an impossible decision

After Joan Beringer’s stellar play in his rotation debut earlier this week, there was excitement in the air. The French rookie scored 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes. However, this always came with the caveat that the Minnesota Timberwolves were missing Rudy Gobert due to suspension.

There’s no doubt it was an impressive game, but whether this performance alone was enough to get Beringer consistent minutes remained unclear.

When Gobert returned on Friday, Beringer earned seven rotation minutes – something eerily similar to the limited opportunities we saw Rob Dillingham earn earlier this season. The tricky part about giving Beringer consistent minutes is that three of the Wolves’ top six players are big men. In both of his short stints on Friday, Beringer played alongside Julius Randle and Naz Reid.

And while it’s an extremely limited sample size, the results weren’t great, as the Wolves posted a net rating of minus 11.1. Going forward, an obvious challenge will be how Chris Finch manages to give Beringer opportunities without taking anyone else away.

It’s hard to find minutes for Beringer

The Timberwolves’ struggles in the non-Rudy minutes were a big reason why fans were so eager to see the rookie. In the lineup with Gobert on the bench, with Reid and Randle, the Wolves have a defensive rating of 122.4 – a number that ranks in the 10th percentile. Beringer can provide much-needed rim protection in these non-Gobert setups. He proved that during Tuesday’s match.

However, putting Reid or Randle in a position where they have to guard opposing small forwards is risky. I’m not saying it won’t work; it’s intriguing, but it’s also clearly risky, and during Friday’s game it didn’t seem sustainable. If these lineups continue to struggle, Beringer’s path to minutes will become foggier.

Minnesota can’t play meaningful minutes against Beringer without cutting into one of the big men’s minutes or playing lineups where one of them is a de facto small forward. Currently, Gobert is averaging 31.7 minutes, Randle 33.5 and Reid 26.6. There could be small opportunities for reduction here. Even then it would be minimal. Gobert’s minutes have already been cut somewhat this season, Randle is the team’s second-best player and Reid’s 26.6 minutes already feel low.

The thing is, it’s very difficult to find minutes for Beringer given the Wolves’ loaded frontcourt. Despite Beringer now proving he can contribute, it seems unlikely he will be a mainstay of the Timberwolves rotation for the rest of the year.

However, is this best for Beringer’s development? No, and I would like to see Beringer play more, but please tell me Finch’s best way to get Beringer minutes when this team is fully healthy.