This season’s No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and Dallas Mavericks star, Cooper Flagg, turns 19 today. The former Duke Blue Devils sensation has had quite the first season in the league. From entering the season with massive hype around him to going through a slump and then getting back up, the Newport native has truly had the real taste of what it’s like being a pro.

However, Flagg hasn’t only seen lows. The Mavericks’ rookie forward has also shown glimpses of his superstar potential. In fact, despite his team’s terrible start to the season, Cooper Flagg has been one of the few bright spots for Dallas and even ranks up there with the very best teenagers to have graced the NBA, including arguably the biggest of them all, LeBron James.

How well does Cooper Flagg’s rookie year stack up against LeBron James’ first season in the NBA?

The 19-year-old has picked up his slack and looks more consistent than ever before. He’s shown that he can drive by defenders and finish at the rim with either hand; he already is a great shooter, and to top it all off, he’s also an unselfish player. However, it’s still too early to tell whether he’ll go down as one of the greatest to ever do it.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that his rookie numbers stack up pretty well to those of LeBron James when he emerged on the scene as an 18-year-old straight out of high school.

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Flagg and James clearly stack up pretty well against each other as rookies. In fact, the Mavericks star is a much more efficient shooter than rookie James. However, James is a better facilitator than Flagg. Apart from that, both have almost similar stats in blocks and steals.

Not to mention that these stats come despite Flagg and James both playing a considerable amount of games out of their natural position. While the Akron Hammer played roughly around 14 percent of his rookie minutes as a point guard, Cooper Flagg also spent the first seven games of the season as a point guard. Nonetheless, that did not stop him from breaking a few of James’ longstanding records.

Which records has Cooper Flagg broken in his rookie season so far?

Cooper Flagg might be a little late to the party, but he’s entered the ROTY race, which seemingly was going towards Sixers starlet, VJ Edgecombe. Recently, the Mavericks forward erupted against the Utah Jazz, finishing the game with a career-high 42 points in an overtime loss. This game on its own saw the 19-year-old smash a couple of longstanding records, one of which was held by James.

Even though Flagg’s terrific scoring wasn’t enough to guide his team to a victory, he broke the record for most points in an NBA game recorded by an 18-year-old, which was previously held by LeBron James, who scored 37 during his rookie season. Not just that, Flagg also became the youngest player to score 40 or more points in a single NBA matchup.

This is impressive to say the least for a rookie player. However, there’s a high possibility that we might witness Flagg smash a few more records until the end of the season, given we’re not even halfway through it yet. Nonetheless, while Flagg has broken a few records and stacks up pretty well against King James’ rookie season, where does he stand among the rest of the players?

Where does Cooper Flagg stand as a rookie in NBA history?

Well, Dallas Mavericks superstar Cooper Flagg, contrary to what a few initially believed, is having one of the best rookie seasons as a teenager in the league’s history. So much so that the forward ranks 3rd in points amongst 18-year-olds of all time. Not just that, he’s 4th on the rebounds list, 2nd in assists, and 4th in steals.

This speaks volumes about Flagg’s talent and skill set as a rookie who entered the NBA at just the tender age of 18. However, this is not it, as this just seems to be the start of what’s to come from the Newport native, who truly is on the right trajectory to become one of the greatest players to have ever graced this league.