10. Charlotte Hornets
Young core: LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun
The Charlotte Hornets have quietly assembled one of the best young cores in the NBA. Even though none of their young core has made the leap to stardom yet, the Hornets have a collection of players worth keeping a close eye on heading into the future. Obviously, you can't talk about the Hornets' future without mentioning LaMelo Ball. A supremely talented young player, Ball has still yet to put it all together. The big question for the Hornets is whether that will end up changing over the next few seasons. If it does, the Hornets could end up making quite the jump up the East standings.
But it's not just Ball that could help change the culture for the Hornets. The development of Brandon Miller and Mark Williams is something else to monitor heading into this season. Both seemed poised for a big season as they prepare for years two and three, respectively.
You have to love the Hornets taking a flier on Tidjane Salaun with their first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Even though he's an extremely raw prospect, Salaun has all the tools to be an effective two-way player down the line.