BREAKING: Minnesota Timberwolves Select Joan Beringer 17th Overall | High UPSIDE?

BREAKING: Minnesota Timberwolves Select Joan Beringer 17th Overall | High UPSIDE?

the pick is in the Minnesota Timberwolves have made a selection in the 2025 NBA draft i’m Tenra Batist and I’m joined by host of locked on Wolves been beacon and the Wolves have selected Yuan Baron the center out of France with the number 17 pick so most mocks had Juan Baron going higher for you Ben was it a surprise that he was still available at 17 it was yeah i mean on Locktown Wolves I talked through like 15 guys that I thought would be there and 13 of them were and I didn’t talk about Baron Jay because I thought he was going to he was going to be drafted higher a lot of mocks had him in the kind of 10 to 13 range and and as he started to fall it did look like it could be good value for Minnesota and um you know the the primary reason I think that teams may be hesitant is just he’s only been playing basketball for like less than four years and um is an extremely raw prospect you know if you look at his his stats in Europe they don’t they’re not exactly eye popping if you look at his per game stats so um it’s understandable why maybe some teams you know or people might be looking at this pick and be like I don’t know uh but there’s obviously a lot to like in terms of potential development down the road yeah yeah and and also when you look at him from just the perspective of how the Minnesota Timberwolves roster is currently constructed constructed where do you see him kind of fitting in to contribute to the front court for Minnesota yeah I mean there they are reporting he’s not going to be stashed in Europe he is going to come over right away and and Minnesota has Yeah Minnesota does have some um some question marks in the offseason both Nas Reed and Julius Randle have player options that need to be either opted in or out of in the next week uh by the end of the month of June we’ll know for sure odds are they probably both opt in and maybe they try and extend one so there’s a little bit of insurance there in case they lose one of those guys but again he’s still 18 years old and he’s very raw he’s only been playing basketball for four years so are they really going to count on him this year probably not uh I I would say this is more of a what’s the plan after Rudy Gobear and um and he’s certainly more mobile than Rudy’s he’s a different player than Rudy Gobear but he is the best shot blocker in the in the draft and he is a big there’s no offensive game you know there’s no perimeter game to speak of on offense he’s a threat he’s a role guy offensively uh Rudy Goar has like three more years on his deal after his most recent recent extension at least three more years plus a player option so does he become the primary backup if one of Nas or Julius Randle’s gone in the next year probably um but I don’t think he’s going to be asked to play you know real backup center minutes right away assuming that at least one of if not both Nas and Julius Randle are back next season yeah so it would be more like a stash to your point not so much stash stashing him overseas but maybe just stashing him on the depth chart which is good because when you think about where Minnesota was obviously the Timberwolves didn’t go as they had envisioned as far as the postseason goes but certainly you’re looking at a team that wants the opportunity not to just have the chance to kind of upend and and go higher and further than they went this year but also kind of looking down the road to your point where is what is this going to look like for the next couple seasons especially when you think about a loaded West so we talked a lot about what some of Baron Jay brings to the table just in terms of maybe where he needs to improve and like you said at 18 sky’s the limit but what do you feel is like maybe that biggest upside for him assuming that it’s more that he has a higher ceiling than a floor yeah I mean the ceiling is is is is gigantic for him i mean he’s already the best shot blocker in the draft he’s not 19 years old he’s ultra athletic he’s got a 74 and a half wingspan and he’s a legit seven feet and indications are he’s still growing um so and he’s already switchable on the perimeter like he’s already you probably could put him out there and he could guard um a lot of guys you know really two through four if not if not two through five probably two through five on the perimeter and you know he’s a little bit slight to be guarding in the post right now but um the as long as he continues to grow and and be um you know built up by an NBA strength and conditioning staff and an NBA coaching staff this guy really is the limit as you said i mean he’s 18 and he’s already got all these impressive qualities he’s going to be able to to be a fantastic helpside shot blocker a good point of attack defender at his size super switchable you’re not going to have to worry about him in space already um and the offensive game is is where all the growth needs to happen but because he’s so young and he’s not awkward given his size and his wingspan he he really is nimble he’s fluid um he’s got really fluid hips and and and that helps on both ends of the floor especially defensively but the question is what can the offense turn into he really is a blank slate and that’s that’s the biggest question is like he doesn’t do much other than catch lobs and finish around the rim right now on offense but because of how fluid he is defensively and and clearly has an impressive ability to pick things up quickly from a scheme standpoint there is a lot of upside on the offensive end too just because he’s going to keep getting better and he already is so is so talented in in such a huge athletic frame um that as you said the sky really is the limit for Baron well we got to say Victor Wimmena good Wimmenyama rather good returns from him zachary Reach good returns from him and I’m sure the Timberwolves faith will hope for good returns from Yuan Baron appreciate you Ben and for continued coverage of Yuan Baron check out Locked on Wolves on YouTube or 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With the No. 17 Pick in the NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Joan Beringer. Tenitra Batiste and Locked On Wolves host Ben Beecken break down the selection. #joanberinger #minnesotatimberwolves #nbadraft

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