Brian Windhorst believes Cooper Flagg already has advantages over LeBron James at the same age in several important areas, particularly defense, shooting fundamentals and positional versatility, even though the Dallas Mavericks forward does not match James’ offensive physical dominance as a teenager.
Speaking on ESPN’s Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, Windhorst told fellow analyst Bobby Marks that comparing the two at age 19 reveals differences beyond their scoring numbers.
“Bobby, I’m telling you, he’s not the offensive talent that LeBron was as a 19-year-old,” Windhorst said. He explained that James’ ability to impose his physical gifts offensively from age 18 was more impressive and helped him produce huge numbers.
Windhorst nevertheless identified three areas in which he considers Flagg ahead of James at the same age.
“Cooper Flagg’s a better defender than LeBron at 19. Cooper Flagg has got a better fundamental jump shot at 19. Cooper Flagg is more positionally versatile defensively at age 19,” Windhorst said.
He added that Flagg had accumulated several advantages on the comparison, before joking that he could not help himself from making the comparison.
The statistics show that Flagg and James had similar scoring averages in their age-19 seasons. Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games for Dallas in 2025-26, shooting 46.8% from the field and 29.5% from three-point range. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 79 games for Cleveland in 2003-04, shooting 41.7% overall and 29.0% from beyond the arc.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year in his first NBA season. James also earned the award in 2003-04, finishing ninth in MVP voting.
Flagg has opened the 2026-27 season with 25.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game through three appearances, shooting 56.5% from the field and 35.7% from three-point range. That early sample is a notable improvement in his shooting efficiency, although three games are too few to establish a lasting trend.
James’ rookie season was defined by his ability to create offense through his strength and athleticism, the distinction Windhorst emphasized.
