Joan Beringer needs to strike a balance between aggression and discipline

Heading into the season, one of the biggest concerns about Joan Beringer earning a bigger role with the Minnesota Timberwolves was his ability to stay out of foul trouble and play disciplined defense. This was a reasonable worry, considering that Beringer racked up 5.4 fouls per 36 minutes in limited minutes as a rookie and that he struggled with fouls in the preseason.

Thankfully, Beringer has shut down this concern; his fouls per 36 minutes are down to 3.4, and similarly, his foul percentage is down from 18.1 to 7.2. Needless to say, this area of growth is a clear positive. However, it comes with a trade-off. His blocks are down, and his impact as a rim protector has decreased.…