Thunder receive grueling yet genuine reality check regarding their greatest weakness

It's no secret that the biggest weakness on this OKC Thunder roster resides in their frontcourt, specifically when it comes to their lacking presence and lackluster size down low.

With all three of Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and, now, Chet Holmgren relegated to the sidelines with varying injuries, coach Mark Daigneault has been forced to roll out a borderline microscopic small-ball lineup with 6-foot-5, 211-pound Jalen Williams manning the pivot.

While hope for this team is far from dashed even with their decimated big man depth, as they are currently 11-3 on the year and are seemingly right on the verge of getting some of these aforementioned players back into the fold, if these first few weeks have taught Oklahoma City anything, it's that they may still need to add more emergency reinforcements to their frontcourt.

Chandler Parsons drops truth bomb on OKC Thunder frontcourt

On a recent episode of FanDuel's Run it Back, former nine-year NBA veteran Chandler Parsons delved deep into this current rotational weak spot for the Thunder.

While he acknowledged that "there's light at the end of the tunnel" when considering, sooner or later, their traditional bigs will all be medically cleared to play this season, Parsons issued a rather grueling yet genuine reality check for the franchise, stating that, even when at full strength, the Thunder could still seriously benefit from having extra strength and size within their reserves.

"This has always been their weakness. There's always been concern [about] how much can Chet [Holmgren] take at the five-spot, banging with these more physical legit centers... As good as their small ball lineup is, as good as they are offensively, [and] as good as their guards are there's going to be some times where teams slow you down, teams just pound it inside, and teams just continue to get to the free throw line and dominate in the interior... They can't be starting SGA as their tallest guy against these big, physical, rugged teams... You also don't want Chet taking that pounding and those minutes just all nonstop as the five... It's a long season for him to be doing that and, as you can see, he's already banged up," Parsons said.

This is far from the first time Parsons has pinpointed the debilitating lack of size on this Thunder team, as he noted mid-way through last season that their vertically challenged roster could very well lead to their downfall come the more physically demanding postseason. Ultimately, his stance proved to be right.

On top of this, the former forward is by no means the only one who has been urging OKC to seek exterior help in the frontcourt talent department following Holmgren's devastating hip injury, as many players have been floated as plausible options Sam Presti and company should consider targeting between now and February's trade deadline.

With how their roster is constructed, perhaps it would be the best course of action for the Thunder to pursue a player with more positional versatility -- i.e., someone who can serve as a bigger body to help alleviate the struggles that are present with a lack of size up front while also possessing the skill-set compatible for playing the four when I-Hart, J-Will, and Chet eventually all come back.

Whoever such a talent may be is currently up for debate, but the one thing that seems clear is that, both in the now and beyond, this team could stand to use for more added size up front, and this front office can no longer deny this being the case.