The next one. That's what we're watching with Cooper Flagg, folks. The 19-year-old Boston Celtics rookie just passed Kobe Bryant on the list for most 20-point games by a teenager, and he's got his sights set on the king.
With his 25th 20-point performance of the season, Flagg moved past Kobe into sixth place on the all-time list. But here's where it gets interesting - Flagg won't turn 20 until December of next season. That means he's got 15 games left this year, plus two more months of next season to chase down LeBron James's record of 62.
Do the math. That's potentially 30-plus games to add to his total. LeBron sits at 62. Flagg's at 25. The gap is closing, and Flagg is showing no signs of slowing down.
Let's look at the list: LeBron with 62, Carmelo Anthony at 49, Kevin Durant at 44, Anthony Edwards at 36, Luka Dončić at 33. That's the company Flagg is keeping. That's the trajectory we're talking about here.
The Celtics knew what they were getting when they drafted him, but even they couldn't have predicted this level of consistency. Night after night, this kid shows up and delivers. No drama, no excuses - just buckets.
What makes Flagg special isn't just the scoring. It's the maturity. The basketball IQ. The way he makes his teammates better while putting up these numbers. He's not hunting stats - he's playing winning basketball that happens to produce incredible individual achievements.
Kobe set the bar high for teenage excellence in the NBA. just cleared it and kept running. Now he's got in his crosshairs, and if he keeps this up, we might be witnessing something truly special.
