So….we are 10 days from the Trade Deadline, and officially two months and some change away from the NBA Playoffs. This season is passing by expeditiously, and for the half of the heap, seasonal aspirations of making the playoffs are as “mad” in vision as expecting a winless College Basketball team to win an entire Division I tournament.

If there isn’t a clear diffidence that’s drawn between the contenders and pretenders, then people aren’t watching.

As we turn the bend to finish March and head into the last full month of the regular season, it’s time for the big moves to be made to either bolster championship rosters a little further, improve the probability of fringe postseason qualifiers to get into the playoffs or supply trade assets and draft capital for organizations that know their seasons are over. For some, big splashes have been made, such as Brooklyn’s signing of five-time All-Star Blake Griffin. For others, headline-stamping names will be moved in bunches in the next week or so in one of the more chaotic times of the NBA calendar year.

And to the current field of the Conference standings for the East and West. While Philadelphia clings on to their division and conference lead by a literal thumbnail, they are experiencing a downturn in health, as leading MVP candidate Joel Embiid suffered a bone bruise in his knee during a road win against the Washington Wizards, and will be out for the NBA’s 14th-ranked offense. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has won 12 of their last 13, largely without the assistance of Kevin Durant, as Kyrie Irving and James Harden have taken turns flexing on opposing defenses and finishing games in the clutch, while the Phoenix Suns out West are taking advantage of both LA teams slumping in the final weeks of March.

With another week approaching, let’s get into another Power Rankings.

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1. Utah Jazz (26-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

While the Utah Jazz aren’t off to the fiery start after the All-Star break you’d expect from the team that’s got the best record in the league, the reasoning for panic wouldn’t necessarily be an amicable perspective to embrace for both fans and supporters alike, but in thought, it’s certainly in play.

Utah is 5-5 in their last 10 contests, and have lost a tad bit momentum leaving the midway point of the season. What was a 22-2 run from January and February has turned into a mortal four losses in six games, and what’s more telling of the sudden fall-off: they’ve slipped to being the third-most defensively efficient team in the NBA while allowing 115.9 points per game during this six-game slump.

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2. Brooklyn Nets (26-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

If it wasn’t for the Joel Embiid-less Sixers stifling the visiting San Antonio Spurs at home and maintaining both their Atlantic and Eastern lead, the Brooklyn Nets would be your No. 1 seed in the East right now. While Kevin Durant has been nursing a hamstring injury (he hasn’t played since Feb. 13, has missed 12 games, will be receiving a third scan this week and will likely be out another 1-2 weeks) and with Steve Nash and crew still planning a way to factor Blake Griffin into the minutes distribution, the Brooklyn Nets are still the league’s most dangerous offensive team, both in the eye test department with two MVP-caliber talents leading the charge, but in the statistics category too.

And for some credibility to that sentiment: they have the best offensive rating in basketball, leading the NBA in total points per game (120.6), field goal percentage (49.9 percent), true shooting percentage (11.9) and are third in the NBA in total clutch rating (119.8) behind only Portland and Charlotte. Their main issue now is simply being on the floor enough to establish and sustain a sense of chemistry.

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3. Phoenix Suns (25-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

In last week’s Power Rankings, we asked the simple question of if the Suns can co-habitate with a glaring national spotlight as the season nears its final two months. And if the past week is any indication of them being able to handle the pressure, it seems they’re not as affected as some would predicate.

This is a team that isn’t just able to defend home court, now with a total 12-7 record inside Talking Stick Resort Arena while scoring around 115 points at home, but have a 13-5 record on the road while scoring above 112 points. They’re tied with th defending champion Lakers from a winning percentage standpoint (.722) and following the All Star break, went 2-1 on the week, picking up wins against arduous opponents like the Warriors and Trail Blazers. In their win over Portland, they survived a 30-point explosion from Damian Lillard and were led by a fresh and rested Devin Booker’s 35 points, as the All-Star wasn’t able to go in last Sunday’s game due to a knee injury.

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4. Philadelphia 76ers (27-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

“At least it was just a bone bruise, and nothing more severe” – said literally every Sixers fan in existence this past week. As Joel Embiid came down from contesting a layup during Friday’s win over the Wizards, his knee bent the opposite direction and from that camera angle, it looked as if his season would conclude prematurely. And it seemed at that point like Philadelphia’s season was dead in it’s tracks right then and there. Until they announced that Embiid would be out only 2-3 weeks with a bone bruise. A collective sigh of relief was let out, but for the time being, they would have to answer the hard question, “who leads us in scoring now?”

Ben Simmons, that’s who.

In their first game without Embiid during the post All-Star stretch, the Sixers embarrassed the visiting Spurs in a 40-point home blowout. They’ll have the Knicks, Bucks and Kings up next on the schedule and will be challenged by how they can manage to score without Embiid on the floor, considering they still are the 14th-ranked team in terms of offense.

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5. Los Angeles Lakers (25-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Besides their 12-point comeback against the tenth-seeded Pacers in the East, L.A.’s looked a little underwhelming to start the second half of the year. They’ve only accumulated four wins in 10 games, and are still without Anthony Davis, who continues to rest and recover from his Achilles Tendinosis.

Even worse, the Lakers are, for the first time this season, going through their own bout with COVID-19, as starting big man in AD’s absence Marc Gasol will be out for an undisclosed time due to Health and Safety protocols. Their schedule doesn’t get easier, with games against the Warriors, Timberwolves, red-hot Hornets, Hawks and 2nd-seeded Suns in this extended week.

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6. Milwaukee Bucks (24-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

The Bucks saw some progress and a return to dominant normalcy this past week, as Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like his MVP self (and All-Star MVP self, since he won the honor last Sunday) by dropping consecutive triple-doubles against the Knicks on Thursday and Wizards on Saturday.

And as he dropped 33 points and snagged 11 rebounds, he became the first player in Bucks history to have two-straight Trip-Dubs in a game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1973. Statistical accolades aside, the Bucks are rolling and are certainly in play to challenge both the likes of Brooklyn and Philadelphia as a top-3 seed in the East as they’ve proceeded to win eight of their last 10.

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7. Los Angeles Clippers (25-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

One win against the slipping Warriors wasn’t enough of a salient reminder that the Clippers had absolved their consistency-insufficient woes stemming from a lack of chemistry on the floor, as they suffered one of their more forgettable beatdowns at the hands of hosting New Orleans on Sunday night.

With guys constantly injured and the depth of this Clippers team playing under expectations, they’ve dropped five of seven and might look at the deadline to start making moves. And entering a week that might be one of their more toughest stretches, Luka Doncic’s Mavs, who have won seven out of their last 10 games, and the Charlotte Hornets, winners of six of their last 10, are on the calendar for the next three games.

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8. Dallas Mavericks (20-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

A 1-1 week puts the Mavericks back into the top-10 in the Power Rankings this week, making the Mavs winners of seven of their last 10 and 11 of the last 14. Though they have an offense that’s just outside of the Top-10 in terms of overall team rating, their chances of getting into the Top-10 could improve, for they’ll be playing the Clippers in a two-game series against a team they squashed back in December by 51 points.

And while there’s been talk of Kristaps Porzingis’ struggles as the statistical worst defender in the league, he’s posted a 103.1 defensive rating in the last four game. So, it’s a diminuitive sample size, but a start nonetheless.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (22-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Though it’s been a difficult task to stay afloat in a ravenous West, the Blazers would be a team to qualify for the play-in tournament for a second year as the current sixth seed. Defensively, it’s been an uphill battle without the likes of Jusuf Nurkic and other bench pieces like Zach Collins, but Carmelo Anthony has been a welcome presence and spacing help for Damian Lillard when the two share the floor. Anthony has looked like his former Denver and New York self at times, and in the month of March, he is averaging 20.3 points off 50 percent shooting.

Factor in around 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, and in an average of 28 minutes, he’s producing a full stat sheet on a nightly basis. Still, it is the defensive side of the ball that haunts him, as he’s posted an abysmal defensive rating of 116.1 when he’s on the floor. The Blazers are still 29th in total defensive rating, and are nine points per 100 possessions worse when he’s on the floor.

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10. Miami Heat (21-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

Should Jimmy Butler be considered an MVP candidate? It’s not a question out of the realm of reality. Miami’s won 10 of their last 11, 14 of their last 18, they’re winners of six straight games away from American Airlines Arena, four straight without Bam Adebayo, and have won nine-straight games since Jimmy Butler’s return. They’re 15-6 with Butler on the court this season, and his numbers are other-worldly at the moment: how’s 28 points, 9.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in the month of March sound?

The Heat have overtaken Boston in the Eastern standings and if the season were to end today, they’d likely have one of the more favorable paths back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Eastern Finals as a clash with the Hornets would be first up. This second-half start for them is a strong one, and teams had better circle Miami on their schedules if this is the team they’ll be facing come gametime.

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11. Denver Nuggets (22-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Back during last week’s midseason Power Rankings, we asked the question of whether or not a third scorer would come in and compliment Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and well…it seems that the need for one hasn’t been more accentuated than now. Jamal Murray is really going through a rough patch in the scoring department, only averaging a total of 12 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds off 31 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from downtown.

So as Jokic has carried the load offensively, averaging 26.5 points in his last 10 games off 55.7 percent shooting, they’ve needed someone else to space the floor with a consistent jumper and willingness to put the ball on the floor and make driving lanes. Michael Porter Jr. answered the call that we insisted he make as the team’s third go-to guy, averaging a little over 22 points and nine rebounds per game in his last three outings.

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12. Boston Celtics (19-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

A three-quarter quarrell resulted in a blowout loss against the overwhelming Brooklyn Nets, who limited the Celtics to only 23 points in the fourth quarter as opposed to their 33 points and 63 points overall in the second half. But, it wasn’t all that bad, considering that Marcus Smart returned from that ruptured calf he injured in a home loss to the Lakers. There was a different energy amongst the Celtics in that game, regardless of the outcome, that they surely brought into the Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets, who before Sunday’s contest were in the middle of a 15-game losing streak.

The Celtics built on the momentum acquired from getting their core pieces back, and went on to brutalize the lowly Rockets by 27 behind a combined 57 points from their two All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Leading up to the Trade Deadline where Boston’s name will fly around like celebrity gossip, the Celtics will likely deal some players to strengthen their bench as well as be suitors for some trade pieces.

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13. Golden State Warriors (20-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

It’s mind-blowing to consider that these Warriors, who are on the outside looking in with a three-game advantage over a .500 record, would be a playoff team if they were in the Eastern Conference. But instead, as a 20-19 team entering the second week of March, while on a four-game losing streak, they won arguably their biggest game of the season during a showdown with the No. 1 team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. And on Stephen Curry’s 33rd birthday, too. The Birthday boy finished with a game-high 32 points and shot 6-9 from downtown while the rookie, James Wiseman, put up 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in 23 minutes.

It was a nice answer to the adversity he faced following his mop-up duty he had to face as a result of missing last Thursday’s contest from missing a COVID test. With the young big man staying on the court and getting into a consistent rhythm with guys like Jordan Poole (who replaced Brad Wanamaker on the floor against the Jazz and scored 18 points) and Nico Mannion, the Warriors bench could vastly improve from what it’s been in the last two years.

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14. Charlotte Hornets (19-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Winners of three straight, the Hornets are quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in all of basketball right now, and with a game against the Kings coming up next, they’ll have a clear-cut opportunity to improve those marks. LaMelo Ball is running alone atop the rest of the heap for the Rookie of the Year award, and has looked like a future All-Star throughout his rookie season.

Just last night in Charlotte’s win over Toronto, Ball scored 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished 6 assists and splashed six three-pointers, making it the third time that he’s posted a 20/5/5/5+ 3PM stat line this year. Only Stephen Curry has more of those lines in a rookie season in NBA history.

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15. New York Knicks (20-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

The Knicks didn’t move a muscle in this week’s Power Rankings, for the simple reason of them treading water as the seventh-seeded team in the East with a record that’s a game above .500. They have a big week coming up, for they’ll do battle with the rival Brooklyn Nets in a battle of the boroughs on Monday night. They’ll then have the Philadelphia 76ers for a two-game series, and have their only soft part of the schedule against the Magic this week. The Knicks have one of the harder schedules in basketball, and only have a 2.5-game margin of error to work with while ahead by a hair of the 11th-seeded Raptors.

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16. San Antonio Spurs (19-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

After the LaMarcus Aldridge trade, the Spurs went on a little bit of a rollercoaster ride. The week started out with a down-the-stretch loss to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks, then quickly rose back up with a come-from-behind win over the slumping Orlando Magic. Soon after that, they traveled to Philadelphia and were, promptly, and proverbially, smacked in the mouth by the Philadelphia 76ers by 35 points on Sunday.

There are now recent reports that have came out that suggest the Spurs could be DeMar DeRozan sellers if both sides don’t come to an agreement to a new extension of his three-year deal. Despite all of that, the Spurs are still a playoff team as the West’s seventh seed.

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17. Atlanta Hawks (19-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

So it seems that the Nate McMillan era in Atlanta is going pretty well. Since letting Lloyd Pierce walk, the Hawks are on a three-game winning streak with former Pacers Coach McMillan. And for another crazy stat: Per ESPN, McMillan is the first coach to win his first five games as an interim coach since Mike Woodson did it with the Jeremy Lin-Carmelo Anthony-led Knicks in 2011-12. What was more startling in Atlanta’s win over Cleveland on Sunday was that Trae Young only scored 14 points off 44 percent shooting, meaning he only attempted 9 shots the entire game, against the NBA’s 23rd-ranked defense.

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18. Indiana Pacers (17-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

In one of the more heartwarming moments in recent NBA memory, Caris LeVert debuted as a Pacer in wake of not just the first time since his trade from Brooklyn as a part of the massive three-team trade that sent Victor Oladipo and Rodions Kurucs to Houston and Caris and crew to teams like Indiana and Cleveland, but the first time since Caris LeVert overcame Kidney Cancer, and in his first game back, scored 13 points off 5/13 shooting in a home win over the Suns.

Prior to that game, Indy had lost six of their last seven, and while the moment was one to be cherished, it’s back to business for the East’s 10th-ranked team as the the Nuggets, Nets and Heat are next up.

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19. Memphis Grizzlies (17-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

For the first time this season, Ja Morant’s Grizzlies fell under .500 for the first time this season with their loss on Sunday to the Thunder, and they allowed Aleksei Pokusevski to score a career-high of 23 points with five threes while OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Morant went at it for four quarters. While it was one of the games that they didn’t want to have slip away as it was one of the easier games on the week, they’d wish they could have that one back. It will get a little more difficult for them, as they have to go and play eight opponents next with winning records. And three of those games are against the Utah Jazz.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

The Pelicans have a weird, unexplainable dilemma: consistency losing against teams they should beat, and consistency beating teams they should be losing to. Sunday’s 20-point win over the Clippers was another game they added to the top shelf of high-tier wins against the game’s best, as they join the ranks of the Bucks, Celtics, and Utah Jazz as teams that the Pelicans have found ways to beat this year.

And just like a lot of the league, they’ve had a rollercoaster of a two-week period that’s featured an ugly 30-point loss to the Timberwolves and five-point loss to the Bulls. One silver lining: Zion Williamson is really good at this basketball thing. Sunday’s win over the Clippers marked the 20th time he’s scored 20+ points in the paint this season.

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21. Chicago Bulls (17-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

The Bulls returned from the All-Star break with consecutive losses to the 76ers and Heat, though that’s more of a matter of difficult scheduling than it is a drop off in productivity. There’s not quite of a need to panic for the Bulls, since they’re still in good position to at least challenge for the play-in tournament, now only 2.5 games out of the eighth seed, and that’s more truth than fallacy if Sunday’s 23-point win over the Raptors told fans anything.

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22. Toronto Raptors (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Five losses in a row for the Raptors drops them five spots in this week’s Power Rankings, and they haven’t had nearly 3/4 of their roster due to Health and Safety protocols, made notable during their loss to the Chicago Bulls this past Sunday. While they are getting Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby back at some point this week, they’re sitting out of even the play-in tournament after a rough two weeks that have been out of their control for the most part.

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23. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-22, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

As a reminder: this season is primed to be one of development and confidence building. That was the case last year in the first season without Russell Westbrook, and well, that resulted in a spot in the playoffs and a near upset of the Rockets in the Orlando bubble.

Now…there’s no need to get too excited or long jump to conclusions that this Thunder team can do what Chris Paul’s Thunder did last year, but a 3-1 record in their last four games can indicate that this team is only a few skill position pieces away from becoming a playoff contender again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to impress and show that he was an All-Star snub, averaging 23.7 points per game as a 50/40/80-esque scorer. But from the outlook of the bigger picture, Mike Muscala and Kenrich’s on/off effect on this team has played the most significant part this season for the Thunder; OKC is +8 per 100 possessions when the two wings share the same frontcourt.

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24. Sacramento Kings (15-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

There has been much positive talk surrounding Tyrese Haliburton’s impact on both ends of the floor, but every now and then, a rookie is going to have his signature “hey rook, welcome to the league moment”. That happened, as euphemistically put as possible, Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Hawks.

Trae Young humbled the Iowa State rookie with 28 points with nine assists off 9-for-17 shooting in 32 minutes as opposed to Haliburton’s eight points on 3-10 shooting. The kid has a ways to go, but from what Kings fans have seen from one of the more impressive rookies in the league this year, they’ll enjoy watching him grow with Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox as mentors and compliments to his game.

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25. Washington Wizards (14-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

The momentum had to reach it’s equal and opposite force at some point. Defensively, the Wizards couldn’t stave off their urges of underwhelming, as they’ve now slipped to 27th in total defensive efficiency. They opened their All-Star break with three straight losses, letting opponents score 126.3 points per 100 possessions in losses to Memphis, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. While Russell Westbrook is regaining form – he’s averaged 29 points, 10 assists and 6.7 rebounds in three games – they’ve had to play without Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans.

And with the schedule picking up as a result of the makeup games from the COVID-19 postponements, the sight of the play-in tournament is starting to fade, as the Wizards are losers of six of their last seven. Bradley Beal, however, is scheduled to return in their game against the Bucks on Monday night.

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26. Cleveland Cavaliers (14-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Though Kevin Love has returned from a strained calf that’s kept him out of competition for 10 weeks, he has yet to play a full game and wasn’t able to in Cleveland’s first game out of the All Star break against the Pelicans. He only scored four points and earned more fouls than rebounds in his first game back, and had to leave two minutes in during their game against the Hawks on Sunday. It’s unclear what the plan is for Love, but it’s not looking promising, to say the least.

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27. Orlando Magic (13-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

General Manager John Hammond keeping all of his players seems more harmful than helpful, and he’s better suited fielding offers for his players rather than keeping them on one of the worst teams in the East, and entire NBA. That’s now eight in a row for the Magic in the ‘L’ column, and the biggest question is when, not if, head coach Steve Clifford pulls the plug on this season and allows his front office to trade guys like Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic prior to the March 25 Trade Deadline.

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 28. Houston Rockets (11-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

The losing streak is at 16 games now, and it’s definitely time to tank away the rest of this season in the hopes that the Rockets can land a top-3 pick. While they’re the 13th-ranked defensive team in basketball right now, it’s practically meaningless considering that they lack a true No. 1 scorer, now peaking as the 27th ranked team in the league when it comes to putting the ball in the bucket.

It must be cathartic, however, seeing younger players like Kevin Porter Jr., Mason Jones and Jae’Sean Tate mesh with Sterling Brown and (when he comes back) Christian Wood, and with the cavalry returning – John Wall, Wood and Danuel House Jr. all come back this week from injury and Health and Safety protocol – there is hope yet for perhaps one final push to challenge for a play-in tournament berth. If not, the Rockets are in a good position to get some good return on sales when/if they send Victor Oladipo and John Wall to fringe contenders.

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29. Detroit Pistons (10-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Detroit returned from the All-Star break with consecutive losses to the Nets and Hornets, but looks competitive in each game, fighting until the final possessions to try and claw out some wins to put on the resume for Dwayne Casey. They recently sold Blake Griffin on a buyout, and he signed with Brooklyn, and also sent away Svitoslav Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-rounder to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for former Slam Dunk Contest winner Hamidou Diallo. Troy Weaver is building an identity for this team, and Pistons fans will come to appreciate it if their gloomy present turns into a positive future.

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30. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

This is a roster in development, so T’Wolves fans should take this season with a pinch of salt and accept the wins that come and go, for they knew they were going to be scarce. Chris Finch earned his first win as a head coach, and Anthony Edwards started to come out of his shell a little more entering the second half of the season in his past four games, where he’s averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists off 43.7 shooting and 33.3 percent scoring from three-land.

On the season, he’s averaged 23.8 points per game and put up his career-high at this point in the season against the Trail Blazers, where the 19-year-old scored 34 points and knocked down 6 threes while hitting some defender-separating stepback jumpers with footwork that resembled his draft comparison, James Harden. He has what it takes to be an All-Star, perhaps an All-NBA talent. It is now up to the front office to build around him, and that process will likely start before March 25th’s Trade Deadline.

Photo Cred: Fox Sports 1430