On Sunday night, a duel between the NBA's preeminent old guard in LeBron James and the league's brightest young up-and-coming superstar in Cooper Flagg ensued. The superstars racked up the points in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks' matchup, but in the end, Flagg was simply the more dominant star — finishing with 45 points compared to James' 30 in a 134-128 win for the Mavs.

Flagg put his feet down and displayed that he got next. Flagg stuffed the stat sheet, adding eight rebounds and nine assists, fueling even more comparisons to the Lakers star. And to the Mavericks star's credit, James is seeing some similarities between him and Flagg, especially with the way they began their respective careers.

“I think it’s great to put the ball in somebody’s hands so they can just go through the rough patches; when you go through the rough patches it allows you to grow at a rate faster than other players,” James said of the Mavericks' decision to put Flagg at point guard to start the season, via Abby Jones of DLLS Sports.

“That’s what Paul Silas, rest his soul, did for me. My rookie year, I basically stared at PG early on. He allowed me to mistakes and read tough defenses … so, I see similarities in that on the basketball floor.”

James, of course, was arguably the most hyped-up rookie of all-time, and it's incredible how his career has more than met the hype. Flagg, for as hyped as he was, did not have to bear that much responsibility off the court.

Nonetheless, the Lakers star is fully supportive of Flagg and is a huge fan of his body of work.

“I love what he’s doing. I love what he’s bringing to this franchise. He looks like he loves the game. He’s putting in the work,” James added.