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Finishing outside the NBA's playoff picture means you had a bad season. It doesn't, however, mean your future isn't bright, as some lottery squads are brimming over with young talent still learning on the job.

A handful of this year's lottery teams are doomed to lengthy rebuilds filled with plenty more losing. But as we move closer to the top of these rankings, we'll be staring at outfits that will be quite competitive soon.

Here, we're looking at everything that can affect the coming campaigns—draft picks owned in the next few offseasons, cap space this summer (based on the $92 million projection from USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt), incumbent core pieces, head coaches and so much more. If it can elevate or depress a team's ceiling in the next few years, it's relevant.

Cross your fingers and hope your team winds up toward the top. Otherwise, you're likely to be repeating the lottery visits for the foreseeable future.