The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday. They've been largely successful thanks to the brilliant play of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. However, Randle received an interesting comparison to LeBron James hours before tip-off.

During a segment of the NBA on ESPN, analyst Andraya Carter claimed that Randle's play is similar to James in that everything he's doing is elevating the Timberwolves as a whole. Carter shares numerous video clips to prove her argument.

“When you talk about Julius Randle playing similar to LeBron James, it's affecting every angle of the floor.”

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Comparing anyone to LeBron James will always be considered a bold take. But Julius Randle has been lights out throughout these playoffs. The 30-year-old forward is averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 50.9% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc.

Comparing his playoff stats to his regular season numbers, the Timberwolves' star is scoring more points per game (18.7 in the regular season) and recording more assists per game (4.7 in the regular season). His rebounds are down a tad (7.1 in the regular season), but considering the other stats are up, Julius Randle is seemingly stepping up for his team when it matters most.

Randle and the Timberwolves will have a chance to steal home-court advantage away from the Thunder at 8:30 p.m. EST when the game tips off on Tuesday night. With the first two games being in Oklahoma City, Minnesota aims to steal at least one win on the road before the series heads back to its stomping grounds.

This trip to the Western Conference Finals marks the second straight season in which the Timberwolves have made it this far. Last postseason, the team suffered a brutal 124-103 Game 5 loss to the Dallas Mavericks that eliminated them from contention.