20. Detroit Pistons
Looking at the landscape of the league, there's an easy argument to be made that the Detroit Pistons have been the most surprising team in the Eastern Conference this season. For a team that probably didn't enter this season with much expectation, the Pistons have certainly been a pleasant surprise this year. At the midway point of the season, the Pistons are still alive for a playoff spot in the East and are just a couple of games out from being a top-4 seed heading into the postseason.
Of course, a lot can change between now and the end of the season. However, there's no question that the Pistons should feel great about themselves at this point in the year. Cade Cunningham has continued to prove that he's the real deal and that he could very well be the new face of the franchise. If the Pistons can find a strong supporting piece (which Jaden Ivey did show flashes of being before his injury), this is a team that can have a very bright future in the next few seasons.
19. Atlanta Hawks
Especially how last year ended for the team and how they operated during the offseason after landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, it was impossible to know what to expect from the Atlanta Hawks this season. Through the first half of the year, the Hawks have probably been slightly better than expected. How this team operates during the push toward the postseason is going to tell us a lot about what to expect from this franchise moving forward.
The Hawks have a talented roster but I'm not sure they have much direction at the moment. The way they close out this year should give them a strong direction of what the front office should do next. And even though Trae Young hasn't had a banner year in terms of scoring, he's proven to be arguably the best playmaker in the NBA right now. If nothing else, that's a great sign for the team as they continue to explore how to build out this roster moving forward.