New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has learned a thing or two about how to manage a superstar during his time in the NBA. The front office executive admits his time away from the game has allowed him to think and learn from his experiences, as his tenure managing LeBron James has given him the right insight to help Zion Williamson.

“The blessing of having been with LeBron is I learned a lot of what I did wrong,” Griffin told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Like the time away, I learned a lot of the mistakes we made. And we made a lot of them. And LeBron was so good, he made us win anyway. So it would be a high-class problem that this kid (Williamson) turns out so good that we can make as many mistakes as we did for LeBron and still win.

Yet despite the obvious comparison between two generational talents, Griffin isn't willing to put the onus on Williamson in such a way, as he's made pretty clear in the offseason.

Griffin was quick to say the Pelicans aren't expecting Williamson to be the savior or the pillar that helps push the team into playoff contention, but rather a special rookie that can gain a lot from his first year in the league.

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“LeBron’s a special winning machine, to think anyone’s going to be that, no,” Griffin continued. “But what it did do is it prepared us very much for the crush of attention that comes from having a player that is that well followed.”

Williamson is a media magnet, even in a small basketball market like New Orleans. His debut crushed ESPN TV ratings and his development has grabbed the attention of many scouts, players, and legends of the game.

If Griffin has learned what it takes to manage a star of James' magnitude, he certainly has a leg up in understanding how to best propel Zion Williamson to the goals he will soon look to accomplish.