5 sleeper teams to watch in 2014-15

As the 2014-15 season approaches, here are five teams you don't want to sleep on, and why. 

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans were an afterthought in the Western Conference last season. After hovering around .500 for the first quarter of the season, the Pelicans' roster was beset by injuries to their star players.

Breakout superstar Anthony Davis missed 15 games. Eric Gordon's wonky knees sidelined him for 18 games. A stress fracture in All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday's right tibia robbed him of over half his season, and sharpshooting big man Ryan Anderson was limited to only 22 games. All four players should be back to full health. 

The Pelicans also stand to improve defensively with the addition of center Omer Asik. Adding Asik to the mix provides the Pelicans with a solid rim protector to fill the lane, while freeing up Davis to provide timely help defense. 

Indiana Pacers

It was an offseason to forget for the Pacers, as they lost two of their top scorers in Lance Stephenson (free agency) and Paul George (injury). Their borderline unwatchable offense only stands to get worse without their starting wing players.

However, the ascent of the Pacers was rooted in their league-best defense, not their offense. Losing George and Stephenson certainly hurts in that regard, too, but the Pacers still have the league's best rim protector in Roy Hibbert guarding the basket. Hibbert held opponents to 41.1 percent shooting at the rim last season. 

With Hibbert anchoring the defense, the Pacers will only need replacement-level scoring out of the fill-ins on the perimeter. That's easier said than done with castoffs C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey being relied on as starters, but the Pacers still have veterans like George Hill and David West to rely upon as well.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks owned the third-best record in the East before they lost star center Al Horford for the season. Without their pivot, Atlanta nosedived, going 22-31 to finish the year.

Horford should be back to start the season, bringing along with him per-game averages of 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Horford is a huge upgrade over the Hawks' stopgaps, and his presence should help steady Atlanta's defense.

Atlanta also added a pair of useful wing players in Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha. Neither player projects to be a huge difference maker, but they're both intelligent perimeter players who can defend and shoot threes.

Denver Nuggets

When healthy, the Denver Nuggets should rank as one of the deepest teams in the league. Their roster is three-deep at every position, and with the added home-court advantage of playing in the Mile High City, the Nuggets should be able to run opponents into the ground. 

The Nuggets weren't able to capitalize on their advantages last season because they were derailed by injuries to key players. Power forward Danilo Gallinari missed the entire season. Center JaVale McGee barely played, and Ty Lawson missed 20 games due to a balky ankle. 

With their stars returning to health, along with an underrated pickup in shooting guard Arron Afflalo, the Nuggets should be primed for a bounce back season.

Detroit Pistons

Admittedly, betting on the Pistons to break out is a vote of confidence for Stan Van Gundy's coaching abilities. 

The Pistons were a disorganized mess last season. Free-agent additions Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings failed to mesh with Detroit's young nucleus. Their dysfunction was exacerbated by head coaches Mo Cheeks' and John Loyer's insistence on playing Smith out of position at small forward. The move pushed Smith away from the basket, and encouraged the career 27 percent 3-point shooter to brick triples.

Van Gundy overhauled the roster this summer, adding in a solid cast of veteran players with an emphasis on shooting. If the Pistons can trot out three shooters to space the floor for their post players, Detroit could conceivably trot out a league-average offense. The defense is another question altogether, but Van Gundy has an established track record for putting together solid defensive squads.