Andrew Bogut is the new starting center for the Golden State Warriors. After DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn quad in Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers - an injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the playoffs - the team needed a new member for the starting lineup.

The options were Andrew Bogut or Kevon Looney. Coach Steve Kerr chose the former.

Andrew Bogut will be the starting center moving forward pic.twitter.com/5dwNn99pRz — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 17, 2019

“Bogut will start,” Kerr said at Wednesday’s practice. “That way we keep Loon in his same role, backing up the center position. I think that makes the most sense. Looney’s been tremendous, and he’s had a fantastic season, and first couple of playoff games, and I think Bogut will do a great job. He’s been great too, since he’s been back, and this is why we got him — just in case. We were hoping we wouldn’t have any injuries obviously, but that was our most vulnerable position, and we’re lucky to have Andrew.”

Though Bogut didn’t join the team this year until late March, it makes perfect sense to start him. Looney is likely the better player at this point, but Bogut has great familiarity with the starting unit. His monstrous screens, handoffs, and passing ability play very well with the off-ball movement of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and he is clearly at his best alongside those players.

Looney has played a huge role off the bench, anchoring a lot of strong defensive units and bringing tremendous energy. He very well may receive the bulk of the team’s center minutes, even if he’s not starting.