<P> Under the current rules , only the top three picks are decided by the lottery , and are chosen from the 14 teams that do not make the playoffs . The team with the worst record , or the team that holds the draft rights of the team with the worst record , has the best chance to obtain a higher draft pick . After the top three positions are selected ( from the lottery slotting system ) , the remainder of the first - round draft order is in inverse order of the win - loss record for the remaining teams , or the teams who originally held the lottery rights if they were traded . The lottery does not determine the draft order in the subsequent rounds of the draft . </P>
who gets the first pick in the nba draft
only the top three picks are decided by the lottery