He was their most energetic, productive player way back when the Timberwolves held training camp in San Diego, but reserve forward Shabazz Muhammad has all but disappeared from coach Tom Thibdoeau's rotation recently.
Thibodeau addressed an underperforming and/or underused bench by shortening it and relied mainly upon veteran Jamal Crawford and big man Gorgui Dieng while reserve forward Nemanja Bjelica's foot injury lingers.
Muhammad, meanwhile, didn't play in four of the past five games and played only seven-plus minutes combined in two others these past two weeks.
Thibodeau praised Muhammad's versatility and called "huge" the free agent signing that brought him back for a fifth season. The Wolves convinced him just before training camp opened to forgo offers from the Los Angeles Lakers and others and accept a one-year minimum deal.
At the time, Muhammad weighed a lean 220 pounds, called himself in the best shape of his life and was pointed toward a season in which he could earn back from some team next summer some of the $40 million he turned down from the Wolves in fall of 2016.
Nearly three months later, Muhammad is averaging 4.0 points in 11.4 minutes a game, nearly half or less than his career average.
He's also shooting 38.5 percent from the field, including 21.1 percent from three-point range (4-for-19).
"A little bit," Muhammad said when asked if he feels pressure to play himself to a big payday next summer.