20. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have quietly looked like a team that is ready to embrace a dark horse Play-In Tournament role in the Western Conference. Having won five of their last six games and seven of their last 10, the Spurs are showing signs of life as a potential threat to the status quo in the West. Victor Wembanyama has successfully shaken off the slow start to the season and he's playing at an All-NBA level once again. The return of Devin Vassell has truly given this team a much-needed shot in the arm and the veteran additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes appear to be paying off.
If may be difficult for the Spurs to remain in the postseason picture all year long but if their performance in the first quarter of the season is any indication, this is a team that is going to have a shot to shake up the standings. But like many of the young teams ranked around this spot in the power rankings, the Spurs may still be considered a move or two away from emerging as a legitimate threat to make the playoffs. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see the strides that they've made this season.
19. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have been an inconsistent problem all season long. There are stretches in which the Hawks will string a couple of wins together and then follow it up with three or four straight losses. This is been an issue all year long for the Hawks. Where has that left the team after the first quarter of the season? The Hawks are currently 10-11 but they technically are sitting in the top 8 of the Eastern Conference standings at the moment. Talent has not been an issue for the Hawks. For the most part, it's their inconsistency that has doomed them.
To put that into perspective, During the last couple of weeks, the Hawks have lost to the Chicago Bulls and then beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back games. During that span, we've seen the best of the Hawks (which is quite good) and then the worst of them. The big question is how this team can begin to solve their consistency issues. Right now, that's almost impossible to answer. However, it's certainly something that this front office will be working to sort out before the NBA Trade Deadline rolls around.