"They are winning the NBA championship AGAIN next year!" - Stephen A. Smith puts in his bold and early prediction for 2023, picks Golden State Warriors to repeat

After winning Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors have added another championship to their resume. This is the franchise's seventh title, and their fourth in the last eight years.

Following their elimination in the play-in tournament last season, Stephen Curry said nobody will want to face the Golden State Warriors next year. Fast forward to now and his bold prediction proved to be correct. The last two years were tough as they battled multiple injuries to key players, but they are once again back at the NBA mountaintop.

With the finals wrapped up, another chapter of the NBA is in the history books. As expected, talks have already begun about next season. While on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith declared that the Golden State Warriors are going to hoist the championship trophy again in 2023.

"I got the Warriors repeating. They are winning the NBA championship again next year. This time next year, Steph Curry will surpass LeBron James, and he will have five chips."

Looking at their roster makeup, Stephen A. believes the Golden State Warriors will still have the proper pieces in place to make another run at the title this upcoming season.

"Steph ain't gonna fade. The brother is in shape, I don't know how he does it... Klay Thompson going to be even better. Jordan Poole ain't gonna get worse, and I'm telling you right now, Jonathan Kuminga, he's coming."

Can the Golden State Warriors make a legitimate run at the NBA title in 2023

2022 NBA Finals: Game 6, Warriors-Celtics

Looking at it from all angles, a case can be made that the Golden State Warriors are in a prime position to still compete. For starters, their championship core is still intact. Steve Kerr isn't going anywhere and the same goes for Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

During their two-year stretch at the bottom of the standings, some long-term good came about for the Warriors. They managed to draft a handful of promising young talent to fuel the next generation of the franchise. Jordan Poole is already starting to emerge, and guys like Kuminga and James Wiseman are not far behind. On top of this, all these young players now have a taste of playoff experience and success.

Moving forward, the Western Conference will be no walk in the park for anyone. The Clippers and Nuggets will be fully healthy, teams like Memphis and Minnesota will be a year older, Phoenix is still a team to watch out for, and the Lakers also have to be thrown in the mix despite their current situation.

It isn't going to be easy, but Golden State could very well be back in the NBA Finals this time next year.