PHILADELPHIA — An old Schoolhouse Rock song proclaims that three is a magic number.

That was the case when the 76ers took future MVP Joel Embiid in that slot in 2014. But not so much the following year, when they selected Jahlil Okafor.

That is evidence that the NBA draft, even near the top, does not guarantee a team will land a future superstar. And those examples stretch across the NBA as a whole.

Here is a breakdown of every No. 3 pick since the Sixers were last in the draft lottery in 2017. It is a group that features All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, along with players whose potential is still to be determined and those who have failed to live up to expectations.

2024: Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

Some believed Sheppard was the top prospect in an underwhelming 2024 class. But he played in only 52 games as a rookie for the breakout Rockets, who boast several intriguing young talents and could be in line to soon take a big swing for a superstar.

2023: Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers

This will forever be known as the “Wemby Draft,” when generational talent Victor Wembanyama went first overall to the San Antonio Spurs. But after a slow start to Henderson’s NBA career, the point guard made notable progress during Portland’s surprisingly strong finish to the 2024-25 season. The 21-year-old’s effective field-goal percentage rose to 49.6%, and he cut down on his turnovers. The two draft picks following Henderson, however, were twins Amen and Ausar Thompson.

2022: Jabari Smith, Houston Rockets

Smith’s future in Houston is also uncertain, after he missed a chunk of the season with injury and was replaced by Amen Thompson in the starting lineup. Although Smith remains a solid defender and rebounder, his shooting results have not translated to the NBA (35.4% on 4.9 3-pointers per game). Notable players drafted after Smith were the Pelicans’ Dyson Daniels, the NBA’s recently awarded Most Improved Player and an all-defensive team performer, at No. 8, and Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams at 12th.

2021: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

This has proved to be an excellent pick. Mobley recently won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award and was an All-NBA selection for a Cleveland team that posted the Eastern Conference’s best regular-season record. The Rockets — a popular team in this exercise — could have had Mobley at second overall, but chose Jalen Green instead.

2020: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets greatly benefited from the Golden State Warriors taking James Wiseman at No. 2, a rare whiff by the front office that built a modern dynasty. Ball has been an All-Star and is wildly popular with younger fans who love flashy dribble moves and step-back 3-pointers. But he also has been regularly injured, prompting questions about whether the Hornets should continue to build around him. Other notable players taken after Ball in this wacky, COVID-affected draft: Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey.

2019: RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

This was the first year with the flattened lottery odds, when the Knicks missed out on Zion Williamson and Ja Morant at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Barrett is a suitable role player, but he ended up as part of the trade package for the Knicks to acquire OG Anunoby last season. A player who was still on the board when New York drafted Barrett: All-Star Darius Garland, who went fifth to the Cavaliers.

2018: Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks

Dončić, who was already an international star, famously fell to No. 3 after the Phoenix Suns took Deandre Ayton and the Sacramento Kings selected Marvin Bagley III. And Dončić ending up in Dallas also was part of a draft-night trade that gave the Atlanta Hawks Trae Young.

Dončić, of course, has become one of the NBA’s biggest stars, propelling the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season before being inexplicably traded to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline. This draft was strong throughout the lottery, with Jaren Jackson Jr., Mikal Bridges, and recently crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all being selected after Dončić.

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