22. Brooklyn Nets
As a team whose roster could look completely different by the time the end of the season rolls around, it's not a surprise that the Brooklyn Nets continue to turn in uneven results through the first quarter of the NBA season. This is a team that is open to trading nearly every player on the roster but also one team that isn't going to approach the NBA Trade Deadline with a ton of desperation. At this point, the Nets have to love where they are as they prepare to hit the soft rebuild button. With plenty of assets, especially after the Mikal Bridges move, the Nets don't have to feel especially rushed to sell off their veteran assets.
Even so, there are a couple of big decisions that the Nets have to make by the end of the season. The biggest likely revolves around what the plan will be for Cam Thomas after this year. A free agent after this season, Thomas is likely going to demand a big contract during the offseason. Do the Nets want to keep him around long-term? If so, it's going to cost the team a pretty penny. Right now, it's almost impossible to predict how that situation will play out during the offseason.
21. Detroit Pistons
During the early portion of the season, the Detroit Pistons were showing some strong signs of encouragement. However, over the last couple of weeks, this team has truly begun to spiral into uncertainty. Losers in five of their last seven games, the Pistons are quickly losing ground in the standings and if they want to emerge as a dark horse threat to finish with one of the final two Play-In Tournament spots, this is a team that has plenty of work to do over the next few months.
In fact, if that is the goal for the Pistons, I'd expect this team to explore a win-now move at the NBA Trade Deadline. I'm not sure how smart of a long-term move that will end up being but I'd imagine this front office would rather take a step forward between now and the end of the season than they'd want to take a step back. The Pistons have certainly shown signs of growth this year. But they still remain a veteran piece away from emerging as a legit playoff threat in the Eastern Conference.