Zach Kram May 27, 2026, 06:30 AM ET Close Zach Kram is a national NBA writer for ESPN.com, specializing in short- and long-term trends across the league's analytics landscape. He previously worked at The Ringer covering the NBA and MLB. You can follow Zach on X via @zachkram . What is the value of a top NBA draft pick? Very high, in one sense. Top picks are the most likely young players to develop into stars. Teams throw away entire seasons for the mere chance of landing one. And fanbases dream about high draft picks turning into cornerstones who can lead their teams to championships and one day see their jerseys raised to the rafters. But that potential doesn't often turn into reality. In the 21st century, a majority of top-five picks haven't even won a single playoff series for the team that drafted them (or traded for them on draft night), and a vanishingly small percentage have won a championship. Did your top-five pick (from 2000-19) help your team win a title?…