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30. Memphis Grizzlies (Previous Ranking: 28)

Memphis' decision to limit Ja Morant to no more than 30 minutes per night robs us of chances to watch the dynamic rookie point guard try to posterize the entire league. But it also protects Morant from himself.

Last Monday, Morant zipped through four Rockets before trying to obliterate Danuel House Jr. with a cocked-waaaaaaay-back righty tomahawk. The result of the play was a spectacular missed dunk and Morant sprawled on the floor, contorted into a position only a 20-year-old could walk away from.

Morant had offseason knee surgery, which has to be a factor in Memphis' careful approach. It's an added bonus that a lower minute total reduces Morant's hard spills per game. It doesn't eliminate them, though. Morant tried virtually the same dunk against Orlando's Nikola Vucevic on Friday. He missed that one, too, but didn't turn into a human pretzel afterward. That's progress.

Oh, and we buried the lede. Memphis got a W this week, pasting 137 points on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Wednesday's 16-point win. Dillon Brooks, whose presence on the floor, statistically, elevates Memphis more than any other player on the team, racked up 31 points in that one.

Finally, Jaren Jackson Jr., conspicuously underwhelming for most of the year, matched his season high with 23 points during Saturday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis sits at 2-7 with the league's worst net rating.

29. Golden State Warriors (30)

With 34 points and 13 rebounds in last Monday's 127-118 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, Warriors rookie Eric Paschall made it official: He's now the most important aspect of Golden State's lost season.

Obviously, full returns to health for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are vital to the organization's future. But in terms of on-court significance, Paschall's development into a viable starting-caliber forward is huge. Cap-strapped and carrying four massive salaries for Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell, the Dubs need some of their low-cost youngsters to pop.

Exceptionally strong, surprisingly quick and gifted with a variety of guard skills, the 6'6" Paschall has already shown the ability to overpower anyone at the rim. He can hang in the air, waiting out less vertically buoyant rim-protectors, hit threes in streaks and, in theory, defend several positions.

Paschall needs to show better defensive awareness, and a player with his motor and instincts shouldn't be averaging under five rebounds per game. But those are the sorts of weaknesses you'd expect to see in a rookie—even one with the unusual amount of experience the 23-year-old Villanova product possesses.

The Warriors, 2-8 after a 1-3 week, should be happy to see Russell getting his numbers (he scored 52 points in Friday's overtime loss to the Wolves), as strong performances only increase his trade value.

28. New York Knicks (29)

Frank Ntilikina's season stat line, which includes a field-goal percentage under 40 for the third straight year, still leaves plenty to be desired. But the 21-year-old guard is showing more glimpses of stellar play through the early part of the season.

He turned in 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in Friday's 106-102 win over former teammate Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks. In addition to across-the-board box-score production, Ntilikina was everywhere defensively, digging down for strip steals, racing back to deny layups at the rim and disrupting passing lanes with his length.

New York is still just 2-8 on the year, and its rotation remains too forward-heavy for decent spacing. But there have been some encouraging signs. Ntilikina is one of them.

27. Washington Wizards (27)

Isaiah Thomas posted a minus-six and a minus-16 plus-minus in his first two starts of the year, but let's move past that and acknowledge that he's an NBA starter again. For a while there, it didn't seem like that was ever going to happen.

Granted, Thomas' return to first-unit duties comes with the woeful Wizards, who went 1-2 this week to drop to 2-6 on the year. But you just don't get feel-good comeback angles like this very often.

Washington hits the road for contests at Boston, Minnesota and Orlando this week. Expect three more losses if the Wizards don't shore up a defense that ranks 28th in the league.

26. New Orleans Pelicans (26)

Brandon Ingram, who scored 40 points on 17-of-24 shooting in last Monday's 135-125 loss to the Nets, is having it both ways during a breakout season. His volume and efficiency are way up, which is a tough two-step to pull off.

On pace to best previous career highs in three-point rate, usage rate, assist percentage and true shooting percentage, Ingram is also turning the ball over less frequently than ever. The only nit to pick about his young season is a decline in attempt rate at the rim. If he cools off on two-point jumpers, those efficiency gains could suffer.

JJ Redick scored 22 points and was a plus-15 in Saturday's 115-110 win over Charlotte, returning to the first unit in place of Lonzo Ball (adductor strain) after coming off the bench for four straight games. The Pels' problems are on defense, but it certainly doesn't hurt to boost the starting five with the superior spacing Redick creates.

Not much has gone right for the Pels, who continue to surrender more points per possession than everyone but the Warriors. But Ingram's star turn helps ease the pain of a 2-7 start.