The Minnesota Timberwolves are having a great year, and part of the credit goes to how they have played to the strengths and egos of their best players. The Wolves take competition within the team extremely seriously, to the point that even rookie Joan Beringer won’t back down against Anthony Edwards, the face of the franchise.
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Beringer is not a household name yet. The 19-year-old French center, who was picked 17th in the 2025 NBA Draft, is expected to get there soon enough. He has already made a name for himself in the NBA Summer League for his outstanding ability to protect the paint. However, Beringer hasn’t been able to crack Minnesota’s rotation consistently.
But that is not a comment on his abilities; it’s just that the Wolves have immense depth in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-11 big man is always ready for whenever the coaching staff calls his name. In Minnesota’s recent loss to the Spurs, he tallied 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 23 minutes. So, most of Beringer’s time on the court for the Wolves is when he practices with the first team.
People outside of the immediate team don’t get the privilege to witness what goes on during these private sessions. However, Beringer is happy to reveal to the media that he doesn’t back down from a defensive assignment, specifically against Edwards.
“I get yelled at when I switch onto Edwards on defense. But honestly, I’ve got good footwork. Out of four one-on-ones, I can stop him two or three times,” Beringer declared.
Lol. Here’s the exact quote Beringer gave me after practice during preseason camp in October:
“I get yelled at when I switch onto Edwards on defense. But honestly, I’ve got good footwork. Out of four one-on-ones, I can stop him two or three times.” https://t.co/vwzhyxrydb
— Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) January 18, 2026
Claiming that he can stop Edwards either 50 or 75% of the time is quite bold. After all, Edwards is one of the best offensive players in the league at the moment. The three-time All-Star is currently averaging a career-high 29.6 points along with 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Clearly, opposing teams are struggling to contain Edwards. It would be remarkable that the Timberwolves have a big man capable of such versatile defense sitting along their bench. However, once word of Beringer’s claim reached Edwards, he quickly shut the French big man down. “Who? Him? Nah, I’ll f*** Joan up,” Edwards proclaimed.
This is the same person who believed he could defeat an Olympic table tennis player despite having little to no background in the sport. So naturally, Edwards will back himself against the rookie.
It would be interesting to watch the two go head-to-head in a one-on-one matchup, though. That would be highly unlikely unless Beringer ends up on a different team at some point in his career.
Beringer’s remarks might be considered a bit of a stretch right now. But it just goes on to show the confidence he has in his abilities. Sooner or later, he will find himself playing regularly for the Wolves, and that’s when this confidence will come in handy.
