Victor WembanyamaPhotos by Caitlin Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

The best of the rest, listed in chronological order:

New York Knicks, 1985 (2-Spot Jump): Patrick Ewing may have been the original lottery prize, but the Knicks’ relatively small jump up the board combined with their lack of postseason success during his tenure narrowly kept this one off the proper list.

Cleveland Cavaliers, 1986 (5 Spots): The Cavs’ jump to No. 1 for UNC star Brad Daugherty was nothing to sneeze at, as the big man was highly impactful when healthy. Unfortunately his career was marred by injuries, leaving us to wonder, What if?

Orlando Magic, 1992 (1 Spot): Orlando’s jump from No. 2 to 1 was small, and while that might not have mattered had Shaquille O’Neal stayed in town for his whole career, his four-year run didn’t provide enough impact for these Magic to outweigh that.

Charlotte Hornets, 1992 (6 Spots): This stroke of lottery luck would have been a cinch to make the proper list had Alonzo Mourning, whom Charlotte selected No. 2 that year, stayed in town longer than three years.

Golden State Warriors, 1993 (4 Spots): The Warriors jumped from seventh to third in this lottery, grabbing Penny Hardaway with the pick and flipping him in a deal for that year’s top selection, Chris Webber. C-Webb only lasted one year with the Warriors, though you might see the other half of this deal later in these rankings.

Houston Rockets, 2002 (4 Spots): Yao Ming was in the offing when Houston jumped from fifth to first in the ’02 lottery. In all, he had an-above average career, but injuries kept him from having enough impact to push these Rockets into our top 11.

Los Angeles Clippers, 2001 (6 Spots): These Clippers drafted Tyson Chandler at No. 2 and flipped him to Chicago on draft night for Elton Brand, who was a two-time All-Star in L.A.

Washington Wizards, 2010 (4 Spots): John Wall was a five-time All-Star in Washington, and a four-spot hop was a fortuitous one, but neither his impact nor the team’s lottery jump was big enough to put this instance in the proper list.

Los Angeles Lakers, 2019 (7 Spots): Trades were included in this exercise, but while L.A. flipped No. 4 pick De’Andre Hunter in the three-team trade for Anthony Davis that summer, there were so many assets heading out of L.A. in that deal that it was too hard to parse how much Hunter’s inclusion (and therefore the Lakers’ lottery luck) impacted things.

Memphis Grizzlies, 2019 (6 Spots): Memphis hopped up to No. 2 for Ja Morant, and while they made a significant leap for an uber-talented player, he hasn’t been on the court enough to crack the top 11.

Charlotte Hornets, 2020 (5 Spots): Despite LaMelo Ball’s relatively short time on the hardwood, the Hornets’ significant leap and the flashes he’s shown while healthy make this one deserving of a nod.

San Antonio Spurs, 2023 (2 Spots): In yet another fortuitous turn of events for the Spurs, they hopped from the third-worst record to the top spot and landed Victor Wembanyama. Give this another decade, and we might see Wemby No. 1 on this list with a bullet.