It has been an up and down rookie season for Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers. At times, Ball looks like the next face of the storied NBA franchise and then there are games in which he appears to be nothing more than a role player struggling to find his way on the professional level.

On Sunday night, Ball showed flashes of brilliance once again on the basketball court with the UCLA product recording the second triple-double of his career. Lonzo finished with a career-high 16 rebounds in a win over the Denver Nuggets and reached a milestone putting him in the same category of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar, LeBron James.

Lonzo Ball
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

“It's pretty cool,” Ball said after Monday's practice. “LeBron [James] is the best player in the world right now, so just being compared to him, it's a blessing.”

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Ball's second triple-double comes at 20 years and 23 days which is the same time period in which James accomplished the same feat. Of course, LeBron had more time to get there as he came into the league a bit earlier while having played an entire season before reaching the milestone in his second year in Cleveland opposed to Lonzo's 17th game with Los Angeles.

Although Ball has had some historic performances early in his rookie campaign with the Lakers, the former Bruins star is still figuring things out. The 20-year-old continues to struggle with his shooting at 31.3 percent from the floor, 22.8 beyond the arc, and an ugly 46.2 from the free-throw line.

However, Ball has excelled in other areas with 7.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. If Lonzo's can get on track in the scoring department while improving his shooting percentage, the rookie could become a scary sight for opposing teams as he begins to make his mark in the NBA.

As for LeBron still being the league's top player, the debate will go on, but it may be hard to make an argument against it as he continues to play at an extremely high level for the Cavs. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and James Harden will continue to try to knock LeBron off his pedestal as he heads into the latter part of his Hall of Fame-caliber career.