One common denominator amongst NBA champions is a collection of high lottery picks, something Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey has identified.

“If you study the history of the league, you really have to respect what we call the scouting curves opinion,’’ he said. “In football and baseball you can get all-time greats in later rounds. But in basketball, the talented prodigies, like LeBron James — most times they turn into the best players in the league.’’

The Miami Heat had five top-six selections last season, while the Dallas Mavericks of 2011 had seven lottery picks.

While five teams have more total lottery picks on their rosters, the Jazz have the most under 25 in Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and Enes Kanter.

“We’re not a finished product,’’ Lindsey said. “But we want everybody to understand that we know we’re playoff competitive but not championship competitive yet. And we aspire to put ourselves inside the championship competitive group, even if we need to take a real patient approach.’’