9 NBA teams who can realistically win the 2026 title, ranked

The Houston Rockets entered this season with reasonable aspirations of winning their third title in franchise history. For good reason. How could a team featuring a sharpshooter Kevin Durant, a savvy point center in Alperen Şengün, and a dynamic two-way young gun in Amen Thompson be anything but? The Rockets were loaded with physicality and willing defensive role players who could do all the little things around Houston's stars. This is what NBA champions are made of. But it's evident the Rockets have desperately missed the presence of starting and steadying point guard Fred VanVleet, who is out for the year with a torn ACL. And recent chemistry issues have bubbled to the surface amid a...