Joan Beringer’s path to Timberwolves paved by an old-school workout

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In the quiet of an empty gymnasium at a nearly century-old private high school in the Chicago suburbs, a long-armed, wide-eyed, 18-year-old Frenchman who has only been playing basketball for four years leapt into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ hearts — on the third try.

After the kind of old-school, private, clandestine pre-draft workout that has increasingly become a thing of the past in this highly orchestrated, controlled era of the NBA Draft preparation, Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly asked Joan Beringer to dunk from the free-throw line.

The workout took place on June 21 at the end of what had been an exhausting week for the 6-foot-11, 235-pound prospect. Beringer had already had workouts in San Antonio, Memphis and with the Bulls in Chicago that week, and his legs were feeling a little rubbery by the time the Timberwolves scrambled to get an up-close look at him less than a week before the draft.

On the first two attempts to dunk it from the stripe, his legs just weren’t quite there.

“I was tired,” Beringer said with a chuckle. “The last one I said, I need to finish a good workout. And that was it.”

🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/7NdBF0wj14

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 27, 2025

The story of how Beringer landed with the Wolves at No. 17 goes much deeper than a single dunk, as impressive as it turned out to be.

It started years ago, when Connelly and general manager Matt Lloyd first built connections in the international scouting world with Cedevita Olimpija, the Slovenian team that alerted Minnesota last season to a promising young big man they believed the Wolves should take a look at. They kept tabs on him throughout the season and were intrigued by how quickly he seemed to take to the game after he shifted from soccer to basketball at 14, in part because his feet grew too big for his soccer cleats.

However, it crystallized at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., at a hastily arranged workout that only happened when a draft-week trade above the Wolves on the board opened up an opportunity.

“We were able to close the book on that evaluation late and get personal access to him, which was critical to make the decision,” Lloyd said.

Beringer’s Las Vegas Summer League debut on Thursday — 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with eight rebounds and six blocked shots in a 98-91 win over New Orleans — raised eyebrows and hopes among a Timberwolves fan base that was unfamiliar with him when he was picked in the first round last month. He made a similarly strong impression on Wolves executives.

“A lot of the NBA stuff is so hyper-sanitized,” said Joe Connelly, the team’s director of scouting. ”This had an authentic, almost grimy feel to it that just felt natural.”

As Beringer went through a series of drills aimed at giving the Wolves an idea of his potential, from ballhandling to one-on-one games and even to some midrange jumpers, the Wolves steadily grew more enamored with a player they had been intrigued by from afar for the better part of a year.

“I remember just catching an eye with Tim and both of our eyebrows were kind of cocked, like what’s going on here, man,” Connelly said.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, the Timberwolves had Beringer ranked highly on their board.

“Every time we watched him, we were just kind of blown away with his instincts, especially for a guy that’s barely played basketball,” Tim Connelly said.

The problem for the Timberwolves was that they were not alone in their interest. Beringer’s representatives were convinced he was going to be chosen before the Wolves were on the clock in the first round. The Atlanta Hawks, who were picking at No. 13, had interest in Beringer, team and league sources told The Athletic.

“We had figured his floor was going to be Orlando at 16,” said Jelani Floyd, Beringer’s agent at Wasserman Sports.

Then, in the week leading into the draft, some good fortune came the Wolves’ way. The Magic traded No. 16 to Memphis as part of the deal to acquire star guard Desmond Bane. Suddenly, a door opened.

Floyd believed the Grizzlies had an interest in Beringer, but he was unsure of how much. That made getting to 17 a realistic proposition. That meant the Wolves were in play. As firmly as they felt about him, the Wolves pressed for one final look at Beringer to complete the evaluation.

Beringer was exhausted from a whirlwind few weeks, but the Connelly brothers, Lloyd and Dell Demps, vice president of basketball operations, go way back with Floyd. So when they expressed interest in Beringer, Floyd knew they weren’t setting some pre-draft smokescreen.

“Tim and Matt are a couple of straight shooters in basketball,” Floyd said. “They’re easy to work with. If they like your guy, they’re going to tell you and say this is a serious thing.”

Floyd still made the Wolves earn it. Yes, they would agree to a one-on-one, private workout. However, they would not fly to Minnesota to do it. The Wolves would have to come to them in Chicago, a way for Floyd to reduce the strain on a client who had been through the wringer that week.

“My whole thing is like, hey, come in, bring your staff, and we’ll be able to see how serious they were,” Floyd said.

The Wolves were serious.

Tim and Joe Connelly, Lloyd, Demps and Alonzo Gee, a former player who has worked with Tim Connelly since he came to Minnesota, rushed to Chicago.

“I think all five of us had different travel itineraries to get there,” Joe Connelly said.

Floyd secured the gym at Fenwick, where he plays pick-up games on Sunday morning.

“It’s not good basketball at all,” Floyd cracked. “At least we keep the fat off a little bit.”

The Wolves front office is filled with guys who cut their teeth on this kind of impromptu, up-close-and-personal workouts. Draft prep season is a long and tedious one, and there were some bleary eyes on the staff as they closed in on draft week.

However, the chance to veer away from the controlled group workouts of the modern era and get back to their roots invigorated them like slamming a Red Bull to push through a late-night cram session before finals.

“It was so refreshing to me because I’ve been around the league now for a while, I still cherish the off-the-beaten-path type of things like this,” Joe Connelly said. “It wasn’t 16 coaches and four trainers and ball boys and Gatorade bottles. It was a hot-ass gym. It just had a nice, authentic feel to it.”

Joan Beringer on draft night with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

Gee spent eight seasons in the NBA as a resourceful, defensive-minded role player. He accompanied the Wolves to Chicago to test Beringer’s response to physicality and quickness. Gee is used to seeing the taller players in a draft come in with a lack of strength, a little too skinny to hold their position on the block or stand up to a shoulder in the chest. However, what stood out most about Beringer was his solid base. Gee had trouble moving him.

“I didn’t know he was 18 at first. But when they told me, I was trying to push him low and he was able to keep his balance,” Gee said. “When he was attacking the basket, he kept his balance and kept his dribble. Even on the drives, I was trying to get around him, and I got around him, but he still made me change my shot with his length.”

Joe Connelly was tasked with running the workout while Tim, Lloyd and Demps watched from the sidelines. Each drill was designed to test Beringer’s physical makeup and his aptitude for the game.

“It’s so rare for a guy that size at that age, most of the time like they’re gangly and their body is catching up with them,” Joe Connelly said. “But his base is so strong and his footwork is so clean, like it was it turned into a real competition.”

What impressed the Wolves even more than the footwork, body control and defensive tenacity was Beringer’s competitive spirit. They knew he was tired. However, he never tapped out. He never asked for water breaks or to back off, even when Connelly and Gee were intentionally fouling him during a layup drill to see how he played through contact.

“I always try to give my maximum,” Beringer said. “Honestly, they pushed me very, very hard, and it was a strong workout. Very good experience for me.”

Beringer’s performance validated Floyd’s willingness to schedule the workout. He knew his client would power through the workout.

“Tim and Matt are going to have him in the gym every day,” Floyd said. “And this helps them make a better decision about who they’re drafting.”

The workout lasted under an hour. When it was finished, Floyd left the gym, and Beringer sat down with the Wolves brass to get to know one another. The Wolves talked to him about learning English in eight months while playing in Slovenia, about shifting from being a striker in soccer to a big man in basketball, about his family, his hobbies and what drives him.

“Talking to a guy, you’re not going to get to know someone that well in an hour or two hours, but you do get a sense of what their expectations are both personally and from a team sense,” Tim Connelly said. “He was wise beyond his years.”

When it was all over, the Wolves walked out of Fenwick High School with a clear objective on draft night.

“Everybody left, and we were all out there waiting for Ubers to go to our respective destinations, and it was hot as hell,” Joe Connelly said. “All of us were like, man, we gotta do whatever it takes to get this guy.”

Tim Connelly worked the phones on draft night, trying to move up, but to no avail. Then, the board broke their way. Memphis traded up from No. 16 to No. 11 and took Cedric Coward, a fast-rising player but one who initially did not figure to be drafted that high. Then the Hawks were blown away by New Orleans offering an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 to move up to No. 13 for Maryland big man Derik Queen. When the Trail Blazers surprised some by taking Yang Hansen at 16, the Wolves draft room erupted at their good fortune.

Beringer was the pick.

“He was our guy when the night started, and we were very fortunate that he was there,” Tim Connelly said.

The Wolves know that Beringer is going to need some time to develop. He was the second-youngest player in the draft and won’t turn 19 until November. He will get to learn from Rudy Gobert, his countryman, and won’t be rushed onto the floor thanks to the Wolves’ depth in the frontcourt with Julius Randle and Naz Reid also there to command big minutes.

However, in so many ways, it looks like an ideal fit. Beringer can be brought along gradually in a system under coach Chris Finch that has a track record for developing young talent. He will have good veterans around him to help him on and off the court. He might be young, but he recognizes the situation that he is walking into.

“Sometimes I just sit and I think, ‘Wow, I’m here,’ ” Beringer said. “Honestly, it’s a blessing to be here.”

Beringer seemingly has a knack for first impressions. He had two blocks on the first possession of the game against New Orleans and five blocks in his first seven minutes on the floor. The initial box score credited him with a summer league record seven blocks, but it was later changed to six. That did little to quell the excitement after his first game.

Joan Beringer’s first half at #NBA2KSummerLeague:

🏀 11 PTS
🏀 4 REB
🏀 5 BLK

The Timberwolves’ first-round pick is DOMINATING THE PAINT 😤 pic.twitter.com/v4KmwLcuRV

— NBA (@NBA) July 10, 2025

“He just has unbelievable timing,” Wolves summer league coach Kevin Hanson said. “I saw it right off the jump, on both sides of the floor too, his ability to go catch lobs and has good hands. … That was impressive.”

There will be plenty of ups and downs in the coming months and years for Beringer. Some scenarios could have unfolded to get him drafted higher in the first round. However, Floyd believes things worked out the way they were meant to, putting Beringer in the place he was meant to be.

“If we didn’t do that workout, who knows where Joan might have ended up being drafted,” Floyd said.

(Top photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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