The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted a newcomer “moving like a star” and he was able to replace Rudy Goat one day, according to Kevin O’Connor.
The Timberwolves fell midway through the NBA Finals of back-to-back seasons, losing to the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals of the past two years.
Leading by superstar Anthony Edwards, they made a big offseason swing to compete for the championship. However, they were unable to overcome the league’s best in the postseason.
However, the promising rookies impressed in the summer league represent their hopes for a bright future.
Joan Bellinger was called “The Ball of Clay” by Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd after the draft. For players who started playing organized hoops just four years ago, this is a good analogy.
At 6’11” the French were elite rim protectors, poised to be a paint presence, and showed it accurately in the summer league.
His Timberwolves teammate Rob Dillingham has recently earned praise from analysts, saying he will be “special.”
“He moves like a star. I try to mutually pollinate and study other things. He moves like a star. I’m good at this,” Kevin O’Connor Shaw reporter Nate Tiss said.
“This guy doesn’t move like an 18-year-old who has grown into his body and grasps his limbs. This guy moves like a really good player moving.
“I know there’s a really long way to go, but yeah, it was fun. It was an 18-year-old summer league that I barely saw five minutes before the draft.”
Minnesota has made a big difference at center in recent seasons, but Bellinger has been able to bring some stability to it.
Timberwolves experimented with a lineup of two big men in 2024 featuring the towns of Gobert and Karl-Anthony. It worked and took them to the Western Conference Finals, but Minnesota moved out of Karl Anthony Towns and sent him to the Knicks.
It left them with a goat that was widely criticized in the 2024 playoffs for its lack of validity on both ends of the court. Luka Doncic won the iconic game in the conference finals through defensive expert Gobert.
Gobert played well in the 2025 playoffs. He rose 27 points and 24 rebounds in his legendary performance, sending the Los Angeles Lakers home in the first round. However, the poor series against Thunder left the same question mark for the four-time defensive player of the year.
Gobert signed a three-year, $109.5 million contract with Timberwolves, making him a difficult asset from. However, O’Connor believes Beringer will provide a long-term solution.
He said, “He’s really, really raw. He looked like a guy who could make you feel better in the future. With Gobert, he’s become intra-tradable, but you still need Rudy Gortbert with his defense to be something related to the defensive side of the floor.
“If Bellinger and these guys end up becoming quality NBA players, then building around Dillingham, Edwards and (Terrence) Shannon and these guys over the next few years will be even more flexible.”
They have a talented young cast led by Edwards’ potential MVP candidate. Beringer could be yet another addition to the list of growing budding stars.
Once players developed their potential, the Timberwolves were able to find themselves in the same position as Thunder in the elite homemade roster over the years.