Tristan Thompson

Cleveland Cavaliers Tristan Thompson will become the team's starting center from here on out.

(Nathan Denette, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson will take over the starting center position from here on out, and Timofey Mozgov will be relegated to a reserve role.

"I just wanted to," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said of his decision before Monday night's game against Atlanta.

It's safe to say Mozgov's role will be dramatically reduced.

With the lack of quality big men in today's game, Mozgov has been of little use. As for his production, he's having one of the worst seasons of his career in a contract year.

Thompson provides more versatility on the defensive end in terms of guarding out on the perimeter, and he's a far better rebounder than Mozgov. But the 7-1 Russian is still the team's best rim protector.

It will be interesting to see how Mozgov handles coming off the bench. He hasn't been the most confident player this season. Lue is gearing up for a championship run and at this juncture he has more faith in Thompson.