The Minnesota Timberwolves’ first selection of the 2025 NBA Draft came with the No. 17 overall pick which they used on Joan Beringer from France. With the selection of Beringer, the Timberwolves now have two players of French descent on the roster. Following the news that the Timberwolves had selected Joan Beringer in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, Rudy Gobert took to social media to give his reaction to the pick.

During his rookie season in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Beringer will get a golden opportunity to learn from one of the best centers in the NBA. Beringer gives the Wolves an intriguing option in the frontcourt. In the ABA with Cedevita Olimpija, he appeared in 30 games last season at a little over 18 minutes per game.

Beringer averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots with splits of 59.4 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He’s still raw and developing, but he has strong defensive instincts and ability, not unlike his new Wolves teammate. Rudy Gobert was the No. 27 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, and has become one of the premier defenders in the NBA.

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It’s been a busy week for the Timberwolves leading up to the NBA Draft. The league recently approved the sale of the team to former MLB star Alex Rodriguez. And over the weekend, before the Houston Rockets’ blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant, the Wolves were reportedly very close to trading for the 15-time All-Star.

This past season, the Timberwolves upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs and dispatched the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals, before being eliminated by the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

The team also has a busy free agency period on the horizon as well. Julius Randle and Naz Reid have player options on their contract while Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent.