Timberwolves Fans React to Joan Beringer as No. 17 Pick in NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
With the 17th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Joan Beringer. That has some fans buzzing and others wondering if he will be worth the gamble.
Beringer, an 18-year-old French center, arrives after weeks of speculation about the Timberwolves’ roster. In particular, it seems they’re adding to their frontcourt with a potential successor for Rudy Gobert in the lineup.
Ahead of the NBA Draft, Beringer is someone who was rising up the mock drafts online, but some considered him a “mystery” and a gamble for teams to take. That was due to his limited stats from one season of international play with Cedevita Olimpija.
In his brief international play with Cedevita Olimpija, Beringer averaged just 4.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The team won the Slovenian League championship, and Beringer led the ABA League in blocks, showing his defensive skills.
An NBADraft.net profile lists Beringer with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and touts his explosive game and “elite length.” They refer to the French big man as a “late bloomer” who stands out on the defensive side of the court, which as many fans know is where Rudy Gobert excelled in his career.
On Wednesday night, Beringer was among the prospects attending the NBA Draft and seated in the green room. Once his name was called, things became real as he put on the Timberwolves cap and shook hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“Welcome to Minnesota, Joan!” a simple introductory greeting said in the Timberwolves’ X post.
Welcome to Minnesota, Joan! pic.twitter.com/2qEBC6TeWC
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 26, 2025
It quickly prompted many likes and comments from fans reacting to the big announcement. Several fans seemed to agree with this pick as a potential replacement at center for one of the team’s current players.
“I like this pick. Naz Reid replacement,” one fan commented on X.
“Welcome!!! Future center of the wolves once Gobert is gone. W pick,” another fan commented.
“Respect to Rudy for sitting down with the Wolves and selecting his replacement,” yet another fan wrote on X.
Not all fans were happy with the pick, as some argued there was a better available player for the Timberwolves.
“Jakucionis was there. Beringer would be a decent pick if he were gone but you gotta take the best player available,” an X commenter said.
the moment. 📺 pic.twitter.com/6ZdHuiYxBb
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 26, 2025
With Beringer, it seems that Minnesota will likely develop him behind Gobert as he’s considered a better defensive player than Reid. However, there’s still also a chance that Minnesota is cooking up some sort of trade involving Gobert, Reid, or someone else.
There were more than a few NBA mock drafts projecting the Wolves would opt for a big man in Wednesday’s first round. Others suggested they might take Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber, but he was already off the board as the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 15th pick.
Related: Timberwolves Projected to Gamble on Joan Beringer in NBA Mock Draft
Related: NBA Mock Draft Suggests Timberwolves Pick Rudy Gobert’s Replacement
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.