Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg made his Christmas Day debut on Thursday against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and the rookie earned high praise from the future Hall of Famer afterward.

Flagg finished with 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot in the 126-116 loss at the Chase Center. He went 13-of-21 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range, in 36 minutes as the Mavericks lost for the fourth time in six games.

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The No. 1 pick became the youngest player since LeBron James in 2003 to play on Christmas (19 years, 4 days). He is one of three rookies in history to record at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on the holiday, joining Pete Maravich and Oscar Robertson.

“Just a true hooper, a competitor,” Curry said of Flagg, speaking to Malika Andrews of ESPN. “You forget how young he is, just his presence out there on the court. The future is bright. I’m glad he got this experience his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like. The league is in good hands.”

Flagg is averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals on 49.3% shooting from the field in 31 games with the Mavericks. He leads the rookie class in total scoring (602) and is one of two first-year players with three 30-point performances.

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The 6-foot-8 forward appears to be settling in on the court, scoring a career-high 42 points on Dec. 15 and nearly recording a 30-point triple-double on Tuesday. He has led the Mavericks in scoring several times this season and is emerging as a leader on the court.

Flagg entered the year with tremendous expectations and has lived up to them through this point of the season. He is earning praise from his peers and has played a significant role for the group.

“He was great,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Cooper is doing everything off the pick and roll, screening, passing. He is doing everything that we’ve asked him to do. He was maybe a little frustrated that he missed some free throws, but overall, he is playing at a very high level for us, and we need him.”

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Mavs news: Stephen Curry praises Cooper Flagg after Christmas Day game