The Golden State Warriors have won four championships thanks to the dynamic duo of Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry, but now find themselves with a sub-.500 record a little over 20 games into the 2023-2024 NBA season.

Jonathan Kuminga is set to take Draymond Green’s place in the starting lineup in a swap that diehard fans will be watching after Green’s indefinite suspension from the league. The Warriors’ next moves after the historic green suspension were pondered and predicted recently.

On Thursday, the Warriors’ Kerr decided to fire back at NBA pundit Stephen A. Smith over something Smith said about his superstar player that did not sit well with him.

Kerr Goes Off on Stephen A. Smith

The Warriors were set to take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday night with a .500 record in their crosshairs. The Dubs are 10-13 on the season and need a surge to get back in the good graces of playoff contenders in the Western Conference.

On Thursday, Smith’s comments were shared by ESPN. He questioned Curry’s leadership style in a short video.

Kerr called Smith’s comments ‘disgusting’ and ‘kind of sickening’ in a press conference setting.

Warriors Out of Playoff Picture So Far

The Warriors found themselves three full games behind James Harden, Paul George and the Clippers heading into a contentious matchup in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Without Green, the Warriors’ lack of size on the inside of the paint has become even more pronounced. While Kuminga has leaping skills and energy that Green doesn’t always have, the Warriors are still relatively undersized in the paint, especially since their trade of James Wiseman to the Pistons last season.

For Golden State to catch and surpass teams like the Clippers, the play of their big men looms large, perhaps as much as Curry’s leadership and the play of the team’s superstar perimeter players.