Once a major skeptic, former 9-year NBA vet drastically changes tune on Thunder

Though they may have finished the 2023-24 regular season as a history-setting top seed in the Western Conference standings, some were not all that convinced that the OKC Thunder was a legitimate threat to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy.

In the end, this small group of non-believers was proven right, as Mark Daigneault's squad was bounced by the Dallas Mavericks six games into their semifinal playoff series.

Now, five months removed from their ouster, Oklahoma City finds itself recharged, revamped, and ready to vie for ultimate glory following an offseason filled with necessary talent-pool shakeups.

GM Sam Presti's summer shenanigans seem to have been enough to encourage the odds-makers, as they currently have the Thunder penciled in with the second-best chance of winning the 2025 NBA Championship, but, perhaps equally as impressive, they've also managed to sway some former naysayers toward the light, particularly ex-NBA forward, Chandler Parsons.

Chandler Parsons changes tune on Thunder ahead of 2024-25 season

One of the more outspoken skeptics about their championship odds, well before last year's postseason even kicked off Parsons correctly pointed out how OKC's lacking size and frontcourt physicality could severely limit their upside.

After being manhandled by both the Mavs in round two and, to a certain extent, even the New Orleans Pelicans in round one, the Thunder opted to address this very clear weakness within their rotation by shelling out a franchise record-setting $87 million deal in free agency to attain highly-touted big, Isaiah Hartenstein.

Because of his arrival out in Loud City, along with a few of their other roster-bolstering moves made, the former nine-year pro admitted on a recent episode of Run it Back that he now is under the belief this core led by returning superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and budding studs Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams is without question the favorites to win the West.

"All they lost is Josh Giddey and they gained Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, who couldn't be more perfect role players for this team [because] they're vets, they know their position, they know how to play. Hartenstein in that pick-and-roll knows how to make that little pocket pass, he can knock down the corner three now. Caruso, the way he defends, the way he plays tough, he's not going to demand the ball. These guys are perfect fits to play off these young, budding stars. They damn near were the best team in the West last year... This team is for real, they have a great young coach, they're set up for the future... This is the best team in the Western Conference," Parsons said.

Parsons would continue on with his praise-filled commentary of the Thunder by tempering any potential fears that may have been ignited by some of their conference rivals' summer maneuvering (namely, the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks) by highlighting their unmatched rotational depth, especially with Hartenstein and Caruso now in the picture, saying they are "built to play, 10, 11,12 guys."

Because of this, the once-upon-a-time skeptic who has previously gone on record to say that "it's hard to trust this young team" is now predicting that Oklahoma City will "landslide" their way toward being kings of the Western Conference in 2024-25.