Timberwolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell said center Nikola Pekovic's numbers show he still has to work himself into shape.
After missing 35 games due to right Achillies surgery to start the season, Pekovic has played with an 18-minute restriction in six of the last seven games.
In Sunday's 117-87 blowout win over Phoenix, Pekovic played a season-low six minutes. He scored four points and didn't have a rebound.
With the media before the game, Mitchell bristled at a question about where Pekovic is at in knocking off rust after his inactivity.
"How many games has he played?