Following the unfortunate news of Fred VanVleet's injury from earlier this week, many fans have now started wondering about the possible ripple effects it could have on the OKC Thunder.
While no one should now label the Houston Rockets as mere pushovers out in the Western Conference -- after all, they still have Alperent Sengun, Kevin Durant, and Amen Thompson in tow --, it's undeniable that, without their star guard leading the charge, their chances of taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy have clearly diminished.
In fact, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report now believes that the loss of VanVleet could severely curb the length of Houston's playoff run, as he suggested that his injury all but solidifies the matchup that will be seen during the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
Thunder vs. Nuggets Conference Finals 'could be inevitable'
In his recent piece discussing what could wind up being the "biggest implications" of the Rockets guard's ACL tear, Bailey noted that he now believes it could be "inevitable" that the Thunder and Nuggets will find themselves facing off in round three of the Western Conference Playoffs this coming year.
Clearly, this is what both fan bases, as well as general NBA fans who are merely seeking the best possible matchups, should wish to see.
The two ball clubs squared off against one another during last year's semifinals and saw the series drag on to a hard-fought seven games before the eventual champion Thunder ultimately persevered.
This summer, both parties managed to strengthen their arsenals even more than last year, as the Nuggets made a slew of signings and splashy trades while Oklahoma City locked down the vast majority of their title-winning core to long-term deals and is slated to add fresh new talents like Nikola Topic into the mix in 2025-26.
With all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the injury-riddled Rockets are now being viewed as having fallen behind in the championship odds push, with Bailey stating that they are "pretty clearly" a tier below both Denver and OKC, and, instead, are more in the range of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Granted, considering preseason hasn't even started yet, there is still a chance that Houston could add some sort of replacement option to run the point in VanVleet's absence. Some have even speculated that Russell Westbrook could be a prime candidate to sign with the club.
Until they find their backup option for their starting one guard slot, however, the Western Conference crown easily seems like either Denver or Oklahoma City's to claim.