The Oklahoma City Thunder are widely viewed as the team to beat in the Western Conference this season, and Shaquille O’Neal is one of many who are backing them.

OKC have a fantastic roster filled with young talent as well as experienced names. They have what it takes to go all the way this season, not just in the conference but also in the finals.

You would imagine that the big names are the reason why many think the Thunder will become champions, but O’Neal has put it down to a rookie.

OKC select Aday Mara in the NBA Draft! Is he the answer to Wemby…?

The C is 7'3…

Shaquille O’Neal thinks OKC Thunder will win the Western Conference because of Aday Mara

Aday Mara made his NBA debut in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The 21-year-old came off the bench and impressed. He matched up directly against Victor Wembanyama and even swatted one of his attempts away.

Mara’s performance against such an accomplished name may have surprised a few, but O’Neal knew his talent all along.

In fact, in his predictions on NBA’s Tip-Off show, the 54-year-old specifically picked the Thunder to win the Western Conference because of Mara.

He said: “Because they have a secret weapon. I don’t know if he’s starting to come off the bench. His name is Mara. The guy is 7’3”. When they play San Antonio, if Hartenstein gets in trouble, Mr Mara can come in and give him good minutes.

“He can score, he’s got post moves, I like his game.”

O’Neal doubled down on his prediction and claimed that Oklahoma City will even win the NBA Finals this season. That’s how highly he rates the team and Mara.

The Spaniard is unlikely to be a primary starter this season, but as he showed against San Antonio, he will get minutes. If he continues to fare as well as he did against the Spurs, O’Neal’s prediction could well come true.