The Minnesota Timberwolves will enter the new season with a significantly different group of big men, creating an opportunity for Joan Beringer to take on a larger role during his second NBA campaign.

Julius Randle and Naz Reid were both moved during the offseason, leaving Rudy Gobert as Minnesota’s primary established interior presence.

While Jonathan Kuminga and Trey Lyles were added to the roster, the Timberwolves are also hoping Beringer can provide meaningful minutes in the frontcourt.

Head coach Chris Finch sees plenty of potential in the 19-year-old, though he expects some growing pains as Beringer attempts to establish himself as a regular part of the rotation.

“You have to realize, as with all young players, there is going to be inconsistency,” Finch said when asked about Beringer. “The way I’m looking at it, is it self-imposed inconsistency or is it just young-player-growth inconsistency? I think with Joan you are certainly going to have the latter. The former – he plays so hard, he’s got incredible balance and energy. He’s got to figure out the balance of retaining the effort while regulating wanting to go after everything all the time.

“The fouls. He always ends up on the ground, you know? And oftentimes takes himself out of position by being overly aggressive. But learning to dial that back is better than the other way around, trying to ramp somebody up all the time.”

Rather than questioning Beringer’s effort, Finch wants him to learn how to control it. His aggressive approach can lead to fouls and poor positioning, but the coach views those issues as easier to address than trying to create energy in a player who lacks it.

Minnesota also has reason to believe Beringer can handle additional responsibility based on what he showed in limited opportunities during his rookie season.

“What gives us great confidence is that when he had chances last year – and he could have had more if we weren’t constructed the way we were constructed – he met the moment most of the time,” Finch said. “When he failed to meet the moment is when he had too much opportunity, like when I had to start him.”

Beringer appeared in 40 games as a rookie, averaging 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and nearly one block while playing only 7.9 minutes per contest.