ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has been high on the defending champion Warriors since the beginning of the 2022-23 NBA season.
However, Sacramento's 126-123 Game 1 win over Golden State on Saturday has shifted his perspective.
“Guys, I’m very worried about the Golden State Warriors,” Smith said on “NBA Countdown” on Sunday morning. “I think I need to say that on national television. I think we need to pause for a second and understand what we saw last night.
“De’Aaron Fox is special. And I’m talking potentially Ja Morant kind of special, I’m talking about when Derrick Rose was at the height of his career. The athleticism, the speed, the quickness -- he’s unguardable. They cannot guard him, OK?”
Fox made his NBA playoff debut Saturday at Golden 1 Center, and didn't disappoint after six years of anticipation. The 25-year-old All-Star finished with a game-high 38 points, including 15 in his favorite final quarter, on 48.1 percent shooting from the field and 50.0 percent from deep.
As Smith mentioned, Fox was nearly unguardable late in the game and used his speed to blow by defenders and attack the rim. He and Malik Monk presented challenges for the defending champs that they weren’t prepared for in Game 1.
Golden State Warriors
“And this is when he was running around in the first quarter and then in the fourth quarter guarding Steph Curry. Let’s take that into consideration,” Smith continued. “Let’s take into consideration that Malik Monk, his former teammate at Kentucky, him there - that’s special. [Domantas] Sabonis with his 16 rebounds. Trey [Lyles] hitting jump shots. Harrison Barnes’ experience.
“Look, I’ve been talking about Golden State, you know how I feel about them, I looked at Sacramento last night and I was like this, ‘Oh my lord. I have been asleep on these brothers’. They’re something special. This is going to be a series, and I hope it goes seven games.”
RELATED: Draymond dissects how Warriors must adjust vs. Fox, Kings
When this matchup was set, just about every national media outlet picked the Warriors to win the series. Understandable -- they're the defending champs whose core has won four titles together, while the Kings are the inexperienced playoff rookies.
But the Kings already are proving Smith, and many others, wrong.