New Timberwolves big man Joan Beringer is a native of France who played professionally most recently in Slovenia instead of going the route of major NCAA men’s basketball.
It’s probably a good thing. The 18-year-old Beringer (pronounced “Zhon Bear-in-jay”) might have a hard time getting into school if admission was based on the draft grades handed out by analysts after the Wolves chose him Wednesday with the No. 17 overall pick.
The marks were a mix of good and bad, hardly surprising given that a 7-foot project with raw ability but limited basketball experience is the perfect candidate for a “value is in the eye of the beholder” judgment instead of a consensus — a point I tried to make on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast even before taking a look at all the draft grades.
Here are three graders who look at Beringer and see what the Wolves saw ... and three more who questioned the pick and slapped Minnesota with subpar grades.
The good: CBS Sports had perhaps the most flattering take, giving the pick an “A” grade while noting that Beringer’s 7-4 wingspan is a coveted trait. “His archetype is a rim-running shot blocker and lob threat. That’s very valued in today’s NBA,” it was noted.
Likewise, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo tabbed Beringer and the Wolves in the category of “What’s your favorite prospect-team fit outside of the lottery.” Woo notes that Beringer will have a chance to develop under fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert, which “could be an ideal situation to help him tap into his significant ability.” And The Ringer gave the pick a B+, saying of Beringer “his defensive upside is as high as any player in the draft.”
The bad: The Beringer pick got a grade of C or worse in three different places that I could find. Yahoo called Beringer “one of the rawest projects in the entire draft” and questioned the Wolves’ plan at forward and center. Their C-minus grade was the second-lowest of any pick in the first round.
Sports Illustrated piled on with a C-minus as well, while USA Today gave the pick a C. Both were questioning not so much the potential for Beringer to develop but the strategy employed by a team that just went to back-to-back conference finals. “The team likely could’ve stood to add more win-now talent,” SI noted.
