isnt there a stat somewhere saying the worst record rarely gets the #1 pick?
You can look at the actual odds. The worst record only has a 25% chance at the #1 pick and a 64.3% chance at a top 3 pick. So there's actually a better chance that the team with the worst record finishes with the #4 pick than the #1 pick.
Of course, all the other lottery odds are worse. If Brooklyn finishes with the 3rd worst record like they have now, the odds we get the #1 pick would be 15.6% and a top 3 pick would be 46.9%.