With a third playoff meeting between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets imminent, should Minnesota try to catch Denver off guard by starting rookie Joan Beringer in place of Rudy Gobert? Gobert has had an up-and-down season. In contrast, Beringer has looked like the Wolves’ center of the future when given ample playing time.

While this is a complex argument, allow me to lay out the pros and cons for you.In the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Nuggets beat Minnesota in five games. In 2024, the Timberwolves exacted revenge in the Western Conference Semifinals, eliminating Denver in seven games. This season, Denver (54-28) won three of the four meetings against Minnesota (49-33), including an overtime classic on Christmas Day in which Nikola Jokić recorded a triple-double of 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists, and Anthony Edwards scored 44 points.

In 2026, something has to give. The Argument for JoanFirst, Rudy has been turnover-prone throughout the 2025-26 regular season. In 76 games this year, he committed 106 turnovers.

As many fans and pundits have noted, his hands and ball security are major issues. This alone does not bode well in the postseason, where possessions are at a premium.Turnovers could swing this series.Denver takes care of the ball, averaging just 12.9 TOs per game (3rd best). The Wolves are at 14.9 (19th).Minnesota’s turnover issues are well known, especially late in games.

But this might actually be a favorable matchup. Denver has the… pic.twitter.com/voKL7pO8N5— Wolf Wise Statistics (@WolfWiseStats) April 13, 2026Second, while interior defense is important to an extent, in today’s NBA, the ability to rotate quickly is hugely undervalued. This is especially true when rotating out to the perimeter.

Joan’s youth is evident, and Rudy’s lack of lateral quickness is sorely exposed. In past playoff runs for Minnesota, they have been killed in this area with Rudy on the floor.86 in the paint for the whole game! https://t.co/17Nd3PCTn0— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 11, 2026On Friday, April 10th, Beringer started in Houston, with Gobert sidelined for rest. In this contest, the Wolves allowed a total of 86 paint points, which is admittedly many more than they’re used to with Rudy on the floor.

However, Minnesota still pulled out the win, and Beringer committed ZERO turnovers. Terrence Shannon Jr. was electric on this night. Also, Joan showed flashes of the athleticism that Wolves fans love about Naz Reid.

The Attempt to Slow JokicWhile slowing down Nikola Jokic can be nearly impossible at times, teams are beginning to take a different approach to defending Denver’s superstar. The league is employing such strategies to apply pressure in different ways and force Jokic to be more physical. Moreover, these strategies help Jokic find a rhythm in a game he is largely unaccustomed to.

As Nuggets Lead writer Jack Susak notes, “he (Jokic) can become focused on trying to draw fouls and/or complaining to referees when they do not get called.” Enter, Beringer.Jokic vs the Wolves’ bigs this season:VS Randle22 MINS | 43 PTS | 16 AST | 8 TOV66.7% FG | 3/3 from threeVS Gobert20 MINS | 34 PTS | 16 AST | 5 TOV65% FG | 3/7 from threeVS Naz Reid4 MINS | 21 PTS | 3 AST | 1 TOV80% FGNo matter the matchup… it hasn’t mattered.…— Wolf Wise Statistics (@WolfWiseStats) April 15, 2026Why Athleticism is VitalWhen weighing the reasoning behind such a drastic change, pace is one of the biggest variables. In the modern NBA, rotational awareness and spacing ability are also vital.

Beringer offers much greater upside across all three categories. Scoring is crucial in today’s day and age, and Joan allows the Wolves to do more of just that. There has been a lot more scoring this season, for both teams, when Rudy Gobert has been OFF the floor.

And there has been a lot less scoring, for both teams, when Gobert has been ON the floor.Asked Rudy a few questions about that tonight…Here are the numbers…Rudy ON… pic.twitter.com/h7Yi4RPcgE— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 12, 2026As Timberwolves beat writer Dane Moore notes in the post above, both Minnesota and its opponents score fewer points when Rudy is on the floor. Whether you view this as a positive or a negative, the team with the most points at the end of the game always wins.Beringer is also continuing to learn the NBA game, which comes only with time and experience. He isn’t yet a finished, polished product.

He still has room to grow in areas such as foul control and rim protection. As Andrew Dukowitz, the beat writer covering Minnesota sports for Zone Coverage, relayed in Joan’s own words:Joan Beringer on what he’s learned from this season that he didn’t know at the begging of the year “Play to my strengths, and I have to play better defense. Like for example last year I was the best defender in my league and (laughs) you can’t really compare that to the NBA so… pic.twitter.com/gNVcUua7gP— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 12, 2026And when round