24. Charlotte Hornets
The continued emergence of LaMelo Ball has been an exciting development for the franchise. Whether he can remain healthy over the course of a season remains to be seen but Ball is certainly in the conversation to be a cornerstone of the franchise. But even aside from how impressive Ball has looked this season, the development of Tre Mann can't be overlooked for the Hornets. The dividends of acquiring him last season continue to pay dividends. And in the early-season absence of Brandon Miller, Mann has emerged as the second-most important player for the team on the offensive end of the floor.
As the Hornets' young core continues to develop, they're certainly a team to watch heading into the thick of the regular season. And if they continue to play this efficiently over the course of the season, there's reason to believe that the Hornets could join the race for a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. I'm not sure if they'll secure a spot but they can certainly add more intrigue to the race.
23. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are pretty much where most expected them to be at this point in the season. But one thing to keep in mind is that it does appear as if Victor Wembanyama has gotten off to a slow start to the year. He's so talented that you'd have to imagine that he'll be able to eventually turn things around. However, if he doesn't, it's going to be hard to expect much more from the Spurs this season. Assuming Wemby can bounce back from a slow start, the Spurs are talented enough to make things interesting toward the bottom of the West's postseason playoff picture.
With how much inconsistency there is aside from the top few teams in the West, the Spurs are not an easy team to handle on most nights. San Antonio is realistically a year or two away from being a real playoff threat but Wemby is a bright enough superstar that he can certainly change the complexity of the West if they do play to their strengths. The eventual return of Devin Vassell should help take some pressure off of Wemby. At that point, they could potentially make a run in the West.