Remember, at the beginning of this NBA season, when people compared Cooper Flagg to Andrei Kirilenko, also known as AK-47?

Kirilenko was an athletic defensive star, and many people thought that is where Flagg would end up.

Well, not so much.

He’s an excellent defender, as promised, but has also emerged as an offensive star. In the last two games, he has scored 96 points, and shot a collective 33-57, or 57.8%. He’s also shot 8-15 on his threes for 53.3%.

On Sunday night, Flagg followed up his 51-point game against Orlando with a near triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers: Flagg had 45 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.

He is the first rookie to have back-to-back 40-point games since Allen Iverson did it in 1997.

This comes near the end of the season as the league is witnessing an amazing Rookie of the Year race between Flagg and his former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel, and it’s a great way for Flagg to put a bow on his season as it winds down.

You know what would make this story even better?

Co-Rookies of the year.