Ranking the Cavs’ top 5 players so far this season

The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after a made basket in-game. (Photo by Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)
The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after a made basket in-game. (Photo by Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images /

Ranking the Cavs’ top 5 players so far this season: #4 – Ricky Rubio

Similar to Love, Ricky Rubio makes an impact on and off the court. By now, you can probably tell that intangibles are important to me.

Through 23 games, Rubio has averaged 13.5 points per game, 6.3 assists and 4 rebounds in 29.2 minutes off the bench. In addition, the Spanish point guard leads the team in steals with 1.2 per game. Also like Love, Rubio looks comfortable in his role coming off the bench. But unlike Love, Rubio serves as the teams sixth man for the most part, providing a more appealing role.

Rubio is the floor general that the Cavs needed for the second unit over the last couple of years. He makes the team go when Darius Garland sits down for a breather. His playmaking skills and overall experience in the league helps create more scoring opportunities for players who lack the skill to create their own.

Without Rubio, I’m not sure we see the meteoric rise of Cedi Osman, or the resurgence of Kevin Love. Besides Garland, there is no player I want the ball in the hands of more than Ricky Rubio.

His efficiency has dropped significantly since the start of the season, but that was inevitable. I mean, we couldn’t have expected him to score 37 points while knocking down eight threes on 89 percent shooting every night like he did at the New York Knicks in November.

The truth is, he’s never been an efficient scorer. His career average from the field is 38.9 percent. Luckily for the Cavs, his scoring efficiency isn’t why they traded for him. They acquired the 31-year-old for his ability to make plays, play scrappy defense and lead the bench unit.

But, it doesn’t hurt that he apparently has the ability to turn into Steph Curry once or twice a month.