When it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers, many people's perception may only stop at the gorgeous dribbles of the great LeBron James and Kyrie Owen, and a little more, some people may remember Jordan's world-famous "The shot" - but what else? Was the veteran team, which joined the NBA in 1946, so lackluster before the arrival of LeBron James?
We've collected the 10 greatest scorers in Cavaliers history — not counting career data accumulation, purely based on the average score per game — let's take a look at who is in the cavaliers' history with the strongest scoring ability.
A 6-foot-9- big forward who was selected with the 11th pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Cliff Robinson made his difference as a big man with excellent basketball skills and good offense and defense. The big man has never been named to the All-Star Team in his career, but he's had three fantastic seasons as a member of the Cavaliers.
Robinson averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in his first season and 18.0 points and 11.1 rebounds in his second season. The big man excels near the basket, which is why he's averaged more than 15 shots per game. Cliff Robinson averaged 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his final season, and he averaged 17.7 points per game in his Cavaliers career, ranking tenth.
A 6-foot-1"Hall of Famer and former superstar, Lenny Wilkins had a brilliant career with the St. Louis Hawks and Seattle Supersonics. In four different seasons, he averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 assists per game in his career. Wilkins was 35 years old in his first season in Cleveland, averaging 20.5 points and 8.4 assists per game.
That year, Wilkins was named the ninth and final All-Star of his career, and he remained sharp on the offensive end. The guard averaged 16.4 points per game and 8.4 assists in his cavaliers' final season. Wilkins is a great contender at the guard position, which is why he appears in the cavaliers' top ten in scoring.
After reaching the Finals and becoming one of the best duo in the NBA with Gary Payton, he was traded for a three-way deal. The Cavaliers sent All-Star point guards Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill along with first-round picks in exchange for Kemp and Sherman Douglas. Even though Kemp's career began to decline after joining the Cavaliers, he was still a skilled scorer.
Kemp averaged 18.0 points per game in his first season with the Cavaliers, his sixth and final All-Star season. The formidable dunk averaged 20.5 points per game for the season (despite playing in just 42 games), followed by his final season in Cleveland, averaging 17.8 points per game. The big man played his final season as a star as his average of points per game in his final three years before retiring had dropped to less than seven points.
As a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brad Doherty was named an All-Star five times. The 7-foot-0 center combined height and scoring ability to become an influential player on the court, starting his career with a draft pick from Cleveland in 1986. Doherty averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season, was named to the All-Rookie Team, and went on to average more than 16 points per game for seven consecutive seasons.
A member of the Cavaliers, Doherty was a big, energetic man who averaged a career-high 21.6 points per game during his third All-Star season in 1991. Over the next two years, the star center averaged 21.5 points and 20.2 points per game, which led him to two more All-Stars and was named to the NBA's All-Team team in the 1992 season, and Doherty had a great career with the Cavaliers and was the seventh-highest scorer in their franchise history.
In the 1978 NBA Draft, Mike Mitchell was selected with the 15th pick, averaging 10.7 points per game in his rookie season before growing into an All-Star offensive player. Mitchell contributed 22.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in his second season, and then averaged 24.5 points per game in his third season, his first All-Star selection.
The 6-foot-7-inch forward played just 27 games in the Cavaliers' fourth season, averaging 19.6 points per game, enough to make him one of the top six points in Cavaliers' all-time scoring list. As a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers or a member of any other team, Mitchell was never named to the All-Star team again, but the forward had his best time with the Cavaliers.
As a 5-time NBA champion, Ron Harper is best known for his career as a championship defensive role player for the Bulls and Lakers. Harper was lucky enough to win the championship with all-time stars including Michael Jordan, Scott Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant; but the guard was a star as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Harper averaged 19.4 points in four seasons in Cleveland and more than 20 points per game in two different seasons. The 6-foot-6-inch defender was an influential defensive player but demonstrated scoring prowess early in his career, even setting a career-high average of 22.9 points per game during his rookie season. As expected, Harper was named to the all-rookie squad and his career was brilliant due to his offensive and defensive possessions.
Colin Sexton has his flaws as a passer and team player, but there's no denying that he's a great point guard. The former No. 8 rookie averaged 20.0 points per game in the Cavaliers' four seasons and reached its highest point last year (35.3 minutes per game, 24.3 points per game). Sexton combines outside shots (37.8 percent) with under-basket scoring, and he has a powerful explosive power for a player who is 6 feet 1 inch tall.
Unfortunately for Sexton and the Cavaliers, the guard will be sidelined for the rest of the year due to torn meniscus — a shame he was expected to have another fantastic season in Cleveland. He has already begun to transform the experience he gained on NBA stadiums and take his team to another level. The Cavaliers now have a lot of good players: Mobley, Garland, Jarrett Allen and so on, so Sexton's absence is really deplorable — they could have done a big job.
Kyrie Irving is one of the greatest players in Cavaliers history for bringing unprecedented possession and combining it with outside shots and key scoring. The point guard, who carried Cleveland on his back before LeBron James returned, was also the biggest factor that helped James win the NBA championship in 2016.
Carey's offense is truly unique to the Cavaliers, which is why he ended up being a Hall of Famer.
Irving averaged 21.6 points per game in six seasons at Cleveland, and his best season came in 2017, averaging 25.2 points per game and shooting 47.3 percent from the field. Carey has three other seasons with more than 20 points, with the lowest being his Rookie season of the year (18.5 points). The point guard built one of the best duo of all time with LeBron James, whose scoring prowess put him in the top three on Cleveland's all-time scorer list.
Wald Peter-Free is considered one of the greatest Cleveland Cavaliers players of all time, and during his 4 years with the team he was a wild breakup. After five amazing seasons with the San Diego Clippers and Golden State Warriors, Free averaged more than 22 points per game in four consecutive seasons. World B. Free averaged 24.2 points in 54 games he played in his first season with Cleveland, and 22.3 points per game in the following season. In his final two years, Fry averaged 22.5 and 23.4 points per game, cementing an incredible scoring resume.
World B. Free is 6 feet 2 inches tall and not a strong player, but he seems to be 5 inches tall when he plays. He uses his athleticism to score from the inside and outside lines, with a strong figure and strong explosive power. The All-Star spent his final peak as a member of the Cavaliers.
Who else will be at the top of the Cleveland Cavaliers' list first?
James is by far the greatest Cavaliers player, the greatest all-around warrior and scorer. While LeBron had countless seasons to choose from, his 2006 season was the highest individual scoring season in Cavaliers history — when he averaged 31.4 points per game. James shot 48.0 percent from the field that season and led the Cavaliers to a 50-32 record in the East and made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In addition, James maintained a career average of 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in his hometown team's 11 seasons. When it came to the basket, he was like a speeding train, and no player on earth could stop him during his time with the Cavaliers. Frankly, no one in history has had the opportunity to play against James in this regard, which is why his side in Cleveland has an incredible scoring record.