Creating winning mentality within the team. It's something that isn't appreciated enough but if you keep losing forever, you will find it tough to build winners' team in the long run. I really believe this is the case, perennial losers stay losers.
Also the importance of having high picks is overrated. Last years champions did not have a single lottery pick in their entire roster, they did however have extremely strong scouting system and internal development. That's what teams should be aiming for rather than accumulating high pick after high pick. Phoenix and Minnesota have done this for years and are still nowhere, with most of their high picks already gone.
Actually looking at rookies this year, the top 5 I would have would be, in no apparent order:
- Zion - no. 1, predictably amazing
- Ja Morant - no. 2 overall pick, fair enough
- Brandon Clarke - picked with no. 21
- Tyler Herro - picked with no. 13
- Terence Davis - undrafted
And then there's Kendrick Nunn picked out of G-League scrubs.
You have to have good scouting first and then worry about having high lottery picks year in year out. Of course you have a
much better chance to draft someone good with no. 5 than you have with no. 25 but if your scouting and development sucks, you aren't going anywhere anyway. Some of the best players in the league were drafted outside of lottery or even second round - Giannis, Kawhi, Jokic etc. Very few of the current best players were actually drafted in top 3.