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15. Charlotte Hornets (18)

It's early, and samples are small...but sign me up for more of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at center!

Head coach James Borrego is messing around with undersized lineups that feature the 6'7" MKG or the 6'9" Marvin Williams at the 5, and the results have been excellent. The Hornets' four best five-man-unit net ratings all feature Kidd-Gilchrist as the power forward or center, and the group that includes Kemba Walker, Tony Parker, Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum has blown the doors off opponents (again, in a small sample).

When the intensity and hustle we've long associated with MKG comes at center, it changes the tone of a game. Check out this chase-down block. Kidd-Gilchrist begins the play sprawled on his own baseline and sprints the length of the floor to catch Josh Richardson and rudely fling his layup attempt out of bounds. Nobody should invoke the Draymond Green comparison, but Kidd-Gilchrist seems to have found his niche.

Don't forget Miles Bridges, who also does cool stuff for the 4-5 Hornets.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (17)

Tuesday's 128-110 win over the Clippers won't turn OKC's season around on its own, but it was a welcome sign that, eventually, the Thunder will figure out how to score.

Led by Paul George's 32 points, OKC ran up a 39-10 advantage in the third quarter of that game. It was easily the Thunder's best offensive stretch of the year.

As Oklahoma City rounds into form following a 0-4 start, the next order of business might be scrapping lineups that include both Westbrook and Dennis Schroder. OKC may have intended to play both of its point guards in critical closing stretches, but the stats show the pairing is failing miserably on both ends.

Still, OKC is trending in the right direction after a crummy start.

13. Los Angeles Clippers (14)

It's hard to know how much stock to put into blowout wins over the reeling Rockets and Wizards, but those big-margin victories (by an average of 26 points) go a long way toward juicing a team's net rating. Add that to the pile of stats that make L.A.'s true talent level unclear.

Another example: The Clips are limiting opponents to one of the lowest effective field-goal percentages in the league, but they're allowing more attempts at the rim than anyone. Considering L.A. doesn't have a real rim-protector (low-minute marvel Boban Marjanovic excluded), it seems unlikely the overall defensive performance will continue to rank in the top 10.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (10)

Dario Saric can't hit a shot, Ben Simmons turned the ball over 11 times against the Raptors on Tuesday and Markelle Fultz is still starting, which limits the minutes last season's best five-man unit (Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Saric and Joel Embiid) share the floor.

Scan Philly's game log, and you'll find losses to the Celtics, Raptors and Bucks—all by 15 or more points.

That about settles it until something changes: The Sixers can roll over the majority of the league, but they just aren't at the level of the East's elite.

11. San Antonio Spurs (12)

The Spurs' defense was always going to suffer without Dejounte Murray (torn ACL) at the point, but his backcourt replacement options—mainly Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills—make sense alongside DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Both guards provide better spacing and shooting than Murray ever could have, which allows San Antonio's top scorers more freedom to operate.

DeRozan has thrived more than anyone else. He averaged 29.7 points per game in a 3-0 week and has led the Spurs in assists in five of their seven contests.

"He's turned out to be maybe the best passer on our team, frankly," head coach Gregg Popovich said of DeRozan, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.

Leave it to the Spurs to overcome injuries and an odd personnel mix by tapping into the distribution skills of a player once believed to be nothing more than a ball-stopping scorer. This team just finds a way.