Standing 5-foot-5 and weighing in at 133 pounds, you’d guess he was the Nuggets’ ball boy when Denver took the floor in Cleveland Wednesday night — not their backup point guard.

But just as he’s done in every game since he joined the league, Earl Boykins once again reminded us that appearances can, indeed, be deceiving.

The NBA’s smallest player would lead the Nuggets to a 93-89 victory over the Cavs, netting a team-high 18 points and dishing out two assists in just 25 minutes of playing time. While LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony may have made the headlines, it was Boykins who truly had the greatest impact on the outcome of the game.

And his impact is part of the reason why the Nuggets are off to a 3-2 start.

Through Denver’s first five games, Boykins is averaging nearly 14 points, three assists and two rebounds a contest. And his three-point field goal percentage (.500) and free throw percentage (.882) are both amongst the best in the league. So, while “Melo,” Nene and Andre Miller have all played pretty well this year, the Nuggets probably wouldn’t be the same team without their sixth man’s consistent production.

But Boykin’s presence on the floor transcends sheer numbers.

That’s because he’s not only an inspiration to all the literal little guys out there, but the metaphorical ones, as well.

After averaging 25.7 points and 5.5 assists per game his senior year at Eastern Michigan University, Boykins tuned into the 1998 NBA draft anxiously awaiting for his name to be called. The draft choices came and went, however, and the former Eagles’ star went overlooked.

Rather than giving up on his dream of becoming a pro-basketball player, Boykins decided to join the CBA’s Rockford Lightning later that summer.

After playing a limited role for the Lightning during the 1998-99 season, Boykins received his first opportunity to play in the NBA Jan. 21, 1999. The Nets would waive him a month later, though, and Boykins would spend the next two years bouncing from one short-term contract to the next.

Finally, during the 2001-02 season, Boykins would receive his first real shot at proving himself. Although the Clippers would waive him at the end of the season, Boykins had played well enough to get picked up by the Golden State Warriors a season later.

And it was with the Warriors that Boykins would have his proverbial coming-out party.

Two days after Golden State had him signed, the well-traveled point guard reeled off 20 points and came up with seven steals in a comeback victory over Denver.

The game would be a sign of things to come, as Boykins continued to impress throughout the season and led the Warriors to a 38-44 record — their first respectable finish in years.

His breakout year earned him a five-year, $13.7 million deal with the Nuggets, and Denver fans have been reaping the benefits ever since.

The only thing I don’t understand is why Denver head coach Jeff Bzdelik hasn’t taken greater advantage of those benefits by inserting him into the starting lineup.

Although Boykins could probably use one of Yao Ming’s socks as a sleeping bag, he has done more with his minutes than arguably anyone in the league this season.

The guy is only averaging 24 minutes a game, yet he has the team’s best assist-to-turnover ratio, is their second-leading scorer and is one of their toughest defenders.

Maybe I’m a little biased because I grew up idolizing small fries like Muggsy Bogues and Spud Webb, but I have a difficult time buying Voshon Lenard as a superior player to Boykins.

He confounds defenders unlike any other player in the league, darting between screens and seemingly vanishing into thin air. And by the time he does pop up, he’s already squaring up to drop another jumper or dish off another assist.

With Carmelo Anthony at small forward and Nene in the middle, the Nuggets already have a solid nucleus of young talent. If they were to move Andre Miller over to shooting guard and put Boykins at the point, they would have one of the most formidable starting lineups in the entire league in a few years.

I realize Boykins might not be allowed to ride half the roller coasters at Six Flags, but if he gets his opportunity, the sky is the limit in Denver.