Chris Finch has made the call that matters most for Joan Beringer: patience. Not the performative kind, either. The Minnesota Timberwolves coach sounded ready to let the 19-year-old work through the rough edges, even after a preseason that was rocky despite respectable numbers.
Beringer averaged 8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during preseason, which is the sort of line that at least hints at usefulness. But Finch did not pretend the process is going to be clean. On Sunday, he said the development will come through repetitions, live reps in particular, and that the mistakes are part of the deal right now.
Finch is betting on growth, not perfection
That matters because Finch is not exactly known for handing out minutes to players simply because they are young and intriguing. He has a reputation for trusting veterans, and yet here he is saying Minnesota needs to let Beringer grow into the role rather than squeezing him into instant reliability.
And the role could be significant. Finch said Beringer may be asked to play “14 minutes a night” or even “24 minutes a night,” with his workload determined by how he is playing and by how good Minnesota can be around him in those moments. That is not token development time. That is real rotation responsibility.
The Timberwolves may not have much choice
The bigger issue is that Minnesota may not have another traditional backup big outside of Beringer. That makes the patience more than a philosophical stance. It makes it practical. If the Timberwolves want depth at center, they may have to live with the growing pains that come with a 19-year-old learning on the job.
Finch’s message was simple enough: the talent is there, the mistakes are coming, and the reps are the only way through it. That is a sensible approach, but it is also a revealing one. Minnesota may believe Beringer can help now, yet the real bet is that he will be better soon enough to justify every uneven minute along the way.
