There was one incredible performance from a rookie during the Pelicans' summer league opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, in the 98-91 loss for the Pelicans, it wasn't Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen or even Micah Peavy, but rather Joan Beringer who was taken 17th overall by the Timberwolves.
The French big man scored 11 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, had 2 steals, and a monstrous 6 blocks, all while shooting an efficient 83.3% from the field. After Minnesota drafted Beringer, many people joked that he was the next Rudy Gobert, as a French shot-blocker who would be joining Rudy on the Wolves. Those jokes have quickly become a reality after this performance, as his rim protection skills were unreal Thursday afternoon. New Orleans had two chances to draft Beringer with picks No. 7 and No. 13, and with their need for rim protection, he would have been a perfect fit.
Beringer appears to be significantly ahead of schedule, coming into draft night, most scouts viewed him as a project, someone who needed time to develop, as he had only started playing basketball in 2021. But now, after just one game, he looks a lot more like an NBA-ready prospect than a project.
I want to give Joe Dumars credit and say that if he'd known Beringer was going to be this ready, he'd have taken him at No. 13, but I can't bring myself to say that. Dumars had his heart set on two guys in Fears and Queen, which didn't allow him to be open-minded to other prospects like Beringer. He was so focused on getting Queen and Fears that he didn't even look Beringer's way.
This draft night blunder may haunt the Pelicans for years to come
When comparing Beringer and Queen's debuts, one thing is clear: one player was a dominant force on both ends, and the other was a sloppy, soft mess. Queen counting stats look great, he had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists and was 5-9 from the field. Seems pretty good, right?
Wrong, he also turned the ball over 7 times and was a disaster defensively. Struggle to get back in transition and was getting torched on both the perimeter and in the post. Beringer, on the other hand, had three blocks in the first three minutes. On the offensive end, he was a play finisher and a strong presence in the paint.
Trading an unprotected first-round and another first-round pick to draft Derik Queen at No. 13 was already a bad move. But, now it continues to age like spoiled milk, after the show Joan Beringer put on in his summer league debut.