14. Miami Heat
At this point in the season, the Miami Heat are the true definition of an inconsistently mediocre team in the Eastern Conference. The Heat is 9–9, and while they're currently sitting in the top eight of the standings in the East, this is not a team that anyone could realistically take seriously moving forward. When you watch the Heat play, it doesn't look like they are having fun on the court. Their players don't even appear to have a strong handle on their respective roles on a night-to-night basis. It's been so bad for the Heat so far this season that even head coach Erik Spoelstra has looked human this year.
More specifically, Bam Adebayo appears to have taken a step back in his progression as a star player in this league and Father Time continues to barrel down on Jimmy Butler. Tyler Herro has been a very good player for the Heat so far this season but I'm not sure how successful a team is going to be with Herro as your best player. This team is dying for a pivot and it's time for this front office to answer the bell.
13. Dallas Mavericks
Injuries have absolutely hurt the Dallas Mavericks to start this season. However, considering this team and their issues over the last few years, that shouldn't be a huge surprise. But even having to play the last few games without Luka Doncic in the lineup, the Mavericks have actually been quite good. Over the last 10 games, the Mavs are 8-2 and are beginning to hit their stride as a team. They're only a couple of games back of the number two seed in the Western Conference standings and could be in a position to truly take off over the next couple of months.
The big question that I have for the Mavs is whether they going to be able to successfully emerge as the same threat to win the title as they were last year. Even after adding Klay Thompson during the offseason, I do believe that it's a fair question to ask at this point. At least for now, in what appears to be a wide-open Western Conference, the Mavs are sitting in a good position. The next couple of months will truly give us a greater indication of what we can expect from Dallas for the rest of the year.