Latest news with #RudyGobert
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Timberwolves Rookie Joan Beringer Speaks About Learning From Rudy Gobert
Timberwolves Rookie Joan Beringer Speaks About Learning From Rudy Gobert originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Joan Beringer became the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round pick at the 2025 NBA Draft, bringing a French center who it's believed could replace the team's current center, Rudy Gobert. Beringer is still unpolished and needs development, but he'll have a great mentor in Gobert. Advertisement Beringer, 18, was one of many centers drafted in the first round, and continued a recent trend of selecting French players. This past season, he played for Slovenia's Cedevita Olimpij, where he averaged 4.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. His team was the Slovenian League champion and Cup winner. In addition, Beringer was the 2025 ABA league leader in blocked shots. Joan Beringer stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 17th pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Penner-Imagn Images Soon after the 6-foot-11 big man donned a Timberwolves cap and shook hands with Commissioner Adam Silver on stage, he shared his thoughts about his role with the team. "My first feeling it's just to give the energy to help the team to be better to improve. This is really important for me," he said in the team's X video. Advertisement Beringer was then asked what he can learn from his new teammate, Rudy Gobert. "First, because you know I'm a defender like him, I'm like just to have a chance to play with him, to learn from him everyday. Just, you know I'm very happy. I want to immediately start to practice with him and to learn from him," the eager rookie said. Gobert was drafted at No. 27 in the 2014 Draft at age 21. The French center has since excelled in the league, becoming an imposing defender who is a three-time NBA All-Star and four-team NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Beringer is likely looking to accomplish similar success, and learning from Gobert can definitely help with that quite a bit. Advertisement There's also belief that should Gobert leave the team through a trade or free agency, they'll have a capable replacement moving forward. The rookie will likely take some time to develop, but Minnesota seems to have some time on their side. With the roster they currently have, they should still be able to compete in the Western Conference while their future roster members learn and improve. Related: Timberwolves Fans React to Joan Beringer as No. 17 Pick in NBA Draft Related: Rudy Gobert Reacts to Timberwolves Drafting His Potential Replacement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Naz Reid Extends With Timberwolves For $125 Million
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dunks the ball while ... More Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the third quarter of the game at Target Center on January 14, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Cavaliers 110-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The Minnesota Timberwolves and Naz Reid have agreed to an extension worth $125 million over five seasons, solving one of the team's most crucial puzzles, before they head into free agency. Solid value, long contract, complicated situation Reid at $25 million per year represents solid compensational value, and signals a high-held belief in the center from the side of the organization, given that he's likely going to still come off the bench for a season or two, until he takes over for Rudy Gobert. Paying any bench player $25 million per year is not an easy decision, but Reid is simply so impactful of a player, that the organization decided to lock him in for five years, and that's the number which does seem optimistic on the surface. He's a strong scorer, solid rebounder, and his floor-spacing capabilities allow the Wolves to be spread out, thus optimizing the effects of Anthony Edwards. So there's a player in there that's important, but you have to wonder if the amount of years - the fifth season is a player option - is going to become a slight problem for them if Gobert hangs onto the main center spot for longer than anticipated. As the team grows more expensive, it's hard to justify that type of long-term contract for a sixth man, even if the money itself - in a vacuum - aren't that overwhelming in the context of things. Additionally, the Wolves could played a bit of hardball here if they had wanted to. Reid, had he opted out, would only have been able to receive a similar offer from the Brooklyn Nets, meaning his market was probably not that strong due to the lack of money in free agency. Instead, the Wolves saw it differently. They saw a player who could have picked up his $15 million option, and then left outright in free agency in 2026, and that was a scenario they wanted to avoid. This type of deal would have more sense in 2026, if a team - including the Wolves - saw Reid as a player who should start full-time. Julius Randle is next Like Reid, Julius Randle also has a player option, which he can decline and then sign for longer, or pick up and just play it out next season. If the forward is looking for a big payday, the Wolves will have to be careful. They're already up against the second apron, and a hefty raise for Randle will surely exceed it. The Reid signing, as well as Randle's upcoming decision, likely prices Minnesota out of returning Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is an unrestricted free agent, who is likely to command a contract in the area of $15 million per year. Of course, the Wolves could just stay aggressive and go deeper into the tax, and across the second apron, but is that a plan new ownership is willing to buy into? We'll see how the Wolves handle the early stages of free agency, but the overarching feeling is there probably is a limit somewhere. But, that limit does not seem to apply to Naz Reid, which could be a good thing if he is to receive a bigger role soon. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Naz Reid agrees to 5-year, $125 million deal to stay with Timberwolves: Report
Naz Reid has signed a five-year, $125 million contract to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Reid could've exercised a $15 million player option to stay with the Timberwolves. Instead, he has agreed to a deal to perhaps keep him with Minnesota for years. Per Charania, the new contract also includes a player option. After winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award after a breakout 2023-24 campaign, the 6-foot-9, 264-pound Reid authored an impressive encore, averaging 14.2 points, 6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game, all career highs, as an integral frontcourt contributor for a Wolves team that made its second straight run to the Western Conference finals. The sixth-year pro has turned into one of the NBA's premier reserves, serving as a high-volume, high-efficiency stretch big who has fit snugly at power forward and center next to a variety of partners over the years — Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, T.J. Warren, et al. When Reid checks into the game, he provides a welcome and immediate injection of 3-point variance, downhill driving and interior finishing — all while helping to space the floor for Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards. Advertisement Reid can allow a team to play twin-towers lineups built around a screen-and-dive center without sacrificing spacing, or to run five-out small-ball looks without punting on rim protection and defensive rebounding — an unassuming and devastatingly effective Allen key to unlock whichever lineup combination might be most effective on any given night. And while he isn't necessarily thought of as a top-flight rim protector and interior defender on his own, his strength and lateral quickness have made him an effective switch defender on the perimeter; the Wolves have allowed fewer points per possession with him on the floor than off it in five of his six pro seasons, and he's long posted above-average block and steal rates for a big man. 'Defensively, Naz has been outstanding,' Wolves head coach Chris Finch told reporters in the spring of 2024. 'He has taken a lot of different matchups, and in his switching, Naz creates a lot of transition opportunities for us. We don't get a ton of those and he is responsible for a lot of it, whether it is pushing it [via passing and dribbling] or at the end of it [with the finish]. And he is just a ball-mover; he has that dynamic quality for our offense.' That combination of shooting, complementary frontcourt playmaking and possession-ending defensive work is pretty rare. Last season, only seven players in the NBA made 150 3-pointers, dished 150 assists, blocked 50 shots and snagged 50 steals: three MVPs (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Kevin Durant), a two-time All-NBA selection (Edwards), two universally beloved 3-and-D players on nine-figure contracts (Derrick White and OG Anunoby) … and Reid. Advertisement That's awfully lofty company for Reid — who turns 26 in August, just entering his prime, with plenty more developmental runway still ahead of him — and the kind of heights few anticipated he'd reach when he signed with the Wolves as an undrafted free agent out of LSU in the summer of 2019.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Naz Reid agrees to new five-year, $125 million deal to stay with Timberwolves: Report
Naz Reid has signed a new five-year, $125 million contract to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN's Sham Charania. Reid had the choice to exercise a $15 million player option to stay with the Timberwolves. Instead, he has agreed to a deal to keep him with Minnesota long-term. Per Charania, the new contract also includes a player option. After winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award after a breakout 2023-24 campaign, the 6-foot-9, 264-pound Reid authored an impressive encore, averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game, all career highs, as an integral frontcourt contributor for a Wolves team that made its second straight run to the Western Conference finals. The sixth-year pro has turned into one of the NBA's premier reserves, serving as a high-volume, high-efficiency stretch big who has fit snugly at power forward and center next to a variety of partners over the years — Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, T.J. Warren, et al. When Reid checks into the game, he provides a welcome and immediate injection of 3-point variance, downhill driving and interior finishing — all while helping to space the floor for Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards. Advertisement Reid can allow a team to play twin-towers lineups built around a screen-and-dive center without sacrificing spacing, or to run five-out small-ball looks without punting on rim protection and defensive rebounding — an unassuming and devastatingly effective Allen key to unlock whichever lineup combination might be most effective on any given night. And while he isn't necessarily thought of as a top-flight rim protector and interior defender on his own, his strength and lateral quickness have made him an effective switch defender on the perimeter; the Wolves have allowed fewer points per possession with him on the floor than off of it in five of his six pro seasons, and he's long posted above-average block and steal rates for a big man. 'Defensively, Naz has been outstanding,' Wolves head coach Chris Finch told reporters in the spring of 2024. 'He has taken a lot of different matchups, and in his switching, Naz creates a lot of transition opportunities for us. We don't get a ton of those and he is responsible for a lot of it, whether it is pushing it [via passing and dribbling] or at the end of it [with the finish]. And he is just a ball-mover; he has that dynamic quality for our offense.' That combination of shooting, complementary frontcourt playmaking and possession-ending defensive work is pretty rare. Last season, only seven players in the NBA made 150 3-pointers, dished 150 assists, blocked 50 shots and snagged 50 steals: three MVPs (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Kevin Durant), a two-time All-NBA selection (Edwards), two universally beloved 3-and-D players on nine-figure contracts (Derrick White and OG Anunoby) … and Reid. Advertisement That's awfully lofty company for Reid — who turns 26 in August, just entering his prime, with plenty more developmental runway still ahead of him — and the kind of heights few anticipated he'd reach when he signed with the Wolves as an undrafted free agent out of LSU in the summer of 2019. 'To see where Naz was three, four years ago and to see where he is now, he's only at that place because of a tremendous work ethic,' Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said back in 2023. 'He's become obsessed with the game, obsessed with keeping his body right. Anytime you surround some of your best players with guys who are as impactful culturally and on the court as Naz, you do everything you can to keep those guys.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rudy Gobert Reacts to Timberwolves Drafting His Potential Replacement Joan Beringer
Rudy Gobert Reacts to Timberwolves Drafting His Potential Replacement Joan Beringer originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Minnesota Timberwolves' selection of Joan Beringer could be a harbinger for what's ahead for Rudy Gobert. Advertisement Selected with the 17th overall pick the day before Gobert's 34th birthday, Beringer, an 18-year-old Frenchman, could be the heir apparent to Gobert's place at the heart of the Timberwolves defense. Beringer has a unique blend of size, mobility and has great hands for picking up the game of basketball just four years ago. However, his inexperience and raw talent have made him one of the draft's biggest mysteries. Gobert, who turns 34 on June 26, signed a three-year $110 million extension last year that will keep him under contract through the 2027-28 season. He'll be 36 years old in the final year of that deal. Advertisement While Beringer could be the reason the Timberwolves move on from Gobert one day, he'll play understudy to the four-time Defensive Player of the Year for now. Meanwhile, the elder Frenchman took to X after the Wolves selected Beringer on June 25. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27)Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Just minutes after Beringer's selection, Gobert posted a series of emojis along prayer hands (or high-fives) and a wolf. Facing questions about Naz Reid, who has a player option in his contract this summer, the Timberwolves gained some security at backup center. In NBC Sports' final mock draft, the outlet argued that Reid's shortcomings on defense could be reason for Beringer to begin seeing playing time as a developmental rim protector. Advertisement Overall, the selection of Beringer will not see its final valuation until years down the line, considering his young age. Related: Timberwolves Fans React to Joan Beringer as No. 17 Pick in NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
