Though Byron Scott will likely roll out Semih Erden with his starting five, it appears that the committee approach to replacing an injured Anderson Varejao could rest heavily on the shoulders of rookie Tristan Thompson when the opportunity presents itself.

Per The Plain Dealer’s  Tom Reed, Thompson will start to see a vast increase in his minutes as he appears fully recovered from an ankle injury which forced him to miss several games.

The No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Thompson has the most upside of any Cavaliers’ big man. He also has most to prove. He’s probably going the get that opportunity over the final 40 games — whether he plays center or his natural position of power forward.

Thompson, listed at 6-feet-9-inches, filled in admirably in the team’s Friday-night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, adding five points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. While he did not fare as well on the scoring in the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Thompson provides a raw offensive skill set but vast amounts of athleticism which led to eight rebounds in just 18 minutes of play.

Presently, Thompson leads all rookies in rebounds per game (5.3) as well as blocked shots (1.2).

[Related: Varejao’s Injury Changes Cavs Outlook]