Fansided

Best NBA lottery picks of all-time

By Paul Centopani

NEW YORK - JUNE 26: (L to R) Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Jarvis Hayes, Maciej Lampe, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Kaman, NBA Commissioneer David Stern, Darko Milicic, T.J. Ford, Zarko Cabarkapa, Dwyane Wade, Nick Collison, Reece Gaines, Mike Sweetney and LeBron James poses for a photo prior to the 2003 NBA DRAFT at the Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden on June 26, 2003 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JUNE 26: (L to R) Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Jarvis Hayes, Maciej Lampe, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Kaman, NBA Commissioneer David Stern, Darko Milicic, T.J. Ford, Zarko Cabarkapa, Dwyane Wade, Nick Collison, Reece Gaines, Mike Sweetney and LeBron James poses for a photo prior to the 2003 NBA DRAFT at the Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden on June 26, 2003 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The latest milepost on the NBA’s year-round itinerary just came and went. The draft, like it does every late June, provided a flurry of excitement, trades, and head-scratching decisions. The Step Back blows out its coverage with the Draft Tracker, flush with prospect profiles, analysis, grades, and fallout from basketball’s recently-completed conscription. It’s the perfect tool for sussing out what happened and looking ahead.

But you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. I went back and looked at every lottery pick since the lottery became a thing in 1985. The goal: to see what impact teams should expect to gain at their respective draft slots.

The top players for each slot were grouped, based on their career, their potential, or my unadulterated bias. Then, the great minds at The Step Back were surveyed to weigh in and collectively determine who was the best. For our purposes, you’re not trying to build the best team or anything like that, the players exist in the vacuum of their draft position with no further context. The premise is simple; for each draft slot, choose the greatest player.

Before anyone gets up in arms, this only goes back to 1985 with the advent of the lottery system, so guys like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson won’t be found here.

(All win share numbers come from Basketball-Reference.)

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