This season, Timofey Mozgov has been nothing but a shadow of his 2015 self. A slow start, frustration, and diminished confidence have all pushed the seven-foot Russian out of favor when it came to getting consistent minutes.

RELATED: VIDEO: Timofey Mozgov Voted As Cavs’ Worst Roommate

But in the recent win of the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Washington Wizards, Mozgov saw a slight spike in his floor time thanks to Kevin Love’s rest. He made every second of his 19 minutes count as he caught lobs and made a number of vicious throwdowns en route to 14 points on 7-of-11 from the field.

This performance did not go unnoticed by his teammates and in their post-game locker room huddle, veteran James Jones led the way in acknowledging the big man’s effort.

This is the Timofey Mozgov everyone expected to show up when the Cavs started their campaign towards redemption. He became a big factor in the team’s masterful defensive showcase, and we can all hope for this type of performance from Mozgov more often as the postseason wars get closer.