Minnesota’s Anthony Tolliver ran down the floor, face unadulterated joy, staring at his hands as if in disbelief.

Just seconds earlier Tolliver dropped a nail in the coffin corner three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Dirk Nowitzki. But the 98-82 fourth quarter lead over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks was not the source of celebration.

Instead it was Minnesota Timberwolves rookie point guard Ricky Rubio that had Tolliver, and the entirety of the Target Center, in an uproar.

Rubio, the heralded rookie sensation from Spain, had just lost future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd with a crossover towards the baseline. As Nowitzki rotated over to close the baseline, one foot near the line to close all avenues of escape, Rubio calmly skipped a pass between the 7-footer’s legs.

For Tolliver, it was the sort of spectacular pass that left missing not an option.

Early on in his young NBA career much of what Rubio has done is of the can’t miss variety.

With Rubio and Kevin Love the Minnesota Timberwolves have quietly become everyone’s NBA Leauge Pass go-to team. Entertaining enough for fans to catch when their favorite team isn’t playing, not yet threatening enough to build rivalries with. Not unlike the early Oklahoma City Thunder team.

There have been lesser rookies that put up better numbers than Rubio’s nearly 10 points and 7.6 assists a night, but few have cultivated the imaginations of the masses the was his nightly passing displays have.

Many NBA players have remarkable court vision–the ability to see the floor and find players as they come open. LeBron James, for example, has put up gaudy assist numbers throughout his career for his ability to create holes in the defense and making the open pass.

What Ricky Rubio has is more akin to court omniscience.  He sees the play before the player comes open. It’s a rare quality shared by few superstars throughout NBA history Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili, and Chris Paul to name a few.

Athletic, but not blessed with elite athleticism, Rubio stays steps ahead of NBA defenses by processing information much quicker than his opponents. It’s as if before each dribble or step Rubio foresees the endless possible outcomes of each action and immediately chooses the best one.

A dribble here moves a defender there and suddenly Kevin Love is open from behind the three-point line. Just a fraction of second slowing his pace in transition and defenders slow up just enough to hit fellow rookie Derrick Williams streaking to the rim.

And the magic is not just limited to offense either. While scouts questioned his ability to defend NBA point guards (with the current NBA rules, can anybody?), Rubio has been able to hold his own at times, using quick feet and his natural instincts to stay in front of and challenge the likes of Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker.

That’s not to say there are not some bumps to come for the young rookie. Rubio turns the ball over a bit too often (3.2 a game), and while his shooting has been much better than advertised, his lack of finishing ability still limits his ceiling to a certain extent.

But the Wolves are fun and relevant again, and a large part of that has been Rubio would seem–as Tolliver can attest to–too good to be true.