Jimmy Butler III (left) and Kawhi Leonard are 2 of the main veteran players on the Warriors and Clippers, respectively.
The LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors meet on Tuesday (8 p.m. PT, NBC & Peacock, Check your local listings) and by all indications, this should be an entertaining and suspenseful early-season tip-off matchup.
And had these teams, as currently constructed, met several seasons ago, this game would immediately evoke epic vibes.
James Harden would be targeting his Kia MVP season, Stephen Curry, a year removed from his second Kia MVP, Kawhi Leonard, a first-team All-NBA selection and coming off a Kia Defensive Player of the Year award, Chris Paul, still considered the game’s finest floor leader … and so on.
They and most of their veteran teammates on the Warriors and Clippers would all be in their primes, sitting among the ruling class of the league at their respective positions.
Yes — crazy what those players were doing back then … and what they’re being asked to do now in 2025-26, this deep into their careers.
These Clippers are the oldest team this season, averaging 30.7 years per player (with the Warriors second at 27 years per player). By hoarding veterans and feeding them significant minutes, these teams are running obvious risks, yet at the same time, placing themselves in a position to win and contend.
It’s an intriguing game they’re playing here in this current NBA climate, with all the potential pitfalls that come with older players — and with many older stars showing only marginal signs of slippage even in their late 30s. It cuts both ways.
The Clippers have eight players over 30, Paul being the oldest at 40. The average age of their starters is 31, and the youngest player in the current rotation is 28-year-old Derrick Jones Jr.
Stephen Curry scored 28 of his 42 points in the second-half to lead the Warriors to an overtime comeback win over the Nuggets.
The Warriors are giving major minutes to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford. That quartet has a combined 61 regular seasons plus 651 postseason games on their collective bodies.
Both teams are positioned to prosper anyway in the competitive Western Conference, where the Warriors are trying to maximize the remaining high-level Curry years, while the Clippers are squeezing what’s left from Leonard and Harden. Barring injury, these teams should be in the mix come playoff time.
“I don’t think the `old thing’ is going to slow us down at all,” said Clippers coach Ty Lue.
Last season, the Sixers were the oldest team at 28.3 years and failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City, at 24.1 years, won the championship.
With the 82-game endurance test barely a week old, here are the perils and pearls of leaning heavily on vets and what the Clippers and Warriors can experience before it’s all done:
4 perils of relying on veterans
• Injuries: This is a no-brainer issue. Older bodies tend to be more vulnerable, and some veterans on these two teams have missed substantial games in the recent past.
Leonard is the most obvious name here, as he missed the first 34 games last season due to right knee issues and brings a checkered history. It’s not just the potential of injury for these veterans; it’s also the required recovery time.
Lue said he plans to take a careful approach to playing time, at least initially with his core group.
“You don’t want to run guys into the ground,” Lue said. “So, in the first half (of the season), keeping their minutes down. Second half, we’ll see where we are.”
• Back-to-back games are back-breakers: If Warriors coach Steve Kerr sticks to the player management game plan, then Horford won’t play in consecutive games this season. Managing his minutes — he probably won’t see more than 20 in any game — allows the Warriors to preserve the 39-year-old for the long stretch. It also denies the Warriors a valuable big man at times; they have 13 back-to-backs.
Horford sat against Portland last Friday in the first back-to-back as the Warriors played overtime against Denver the night before. A predictable result ensued: they were run off the floor by the younger and quicker Trail Blazers, losing by 20.
These back-to-backs are poison pills for veterans, especially those with injury histories. The Clippers might play it safe with Leonard this season, as in the past.
While sitting these players in back-to-backs might conserve them, it can also cost the team in the standings. Which leads to …
• April grinds: Suppose by the final month, the Clippers and Warriors are fighting to steer clear of the SoFi Play-In Tournament or the lottery? Or trying to gain a better playoff seed? Or a chance to get the best record in the West?
“We need to be in a position where we’re not chasing anything down the stretch,” said Curry.
The season’s last month can turn into an all-hands-on-deck situation with playoff implications afoot. In that case, there’s no luxury of reducing the playing time of key players.
How will the bodies of these older players respond after several months of tread wear, and during the intensity of those final yet vital games? Most likely, the Clippers and Warriors will adopt a worry-about-it-when-we-get-there mentality.
• Undeveloped young talent. With the vets commanding all the important minutes, it can come at the cost of prepping the up-and-coming players, mainly for the future.
This has more to do with the Clippers. The Warriors have more of a young/old blend, with Jonathan Kuminga (23) and Brandin Podziemski (22) in the starting lineup and Moses Moody (23) getting time as well.
The Clippers, because of the way they’re constructed, are all-in. They’re not grooming anyone. Cam Christie (20) and Kobe Brown (25) are only breaking a sweat in practice.
4 pearls of relying on veterans
Chris Paul (left), Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have oodles of playoff experience between them.
• Aging gracefully: The stars in today’s league are stretching their impactful years beyond logic. Or did you not see Curry drop 77 points last week on back-to-back nights?
Curry, Butler, Green, Leonard and Harden remain significant players and difference-makers. Horford is beneficial, especially defensively and shooting corner 3-pointers. Paul won’t get big minutes, but Lue trusts him in spots.
Whether it’s modern medical technology, better diets and strength training or simply taking better care of themselves than the previous generation, today’s stars are stubbornly resisting the aging process.
• Wisdom: It’s the greatest gift for a coach to have players who don’t need much … coaching. For example, Lue is a championship-proven coach, but exactly what point guard advice or instruction can he give Paul or Harden?
Having smart and experienced players leads to fewer mental mistakes, which means fewer turnovers in key moments.
• Clutch capabilities. In the moment of truth, during the last few minutes of a tight game, veterans have an edge. They’ve seen every possible situation. Their ability to react and anticipate is superb.
Curry and Leonard practically own manuals on how to make winning shots, and there’s a reason or two Butler has the “Playoff Jimmy” moniker.
They tend to make plays at either end of the floor that decide games. And they aren’t scared to fail. They don’t run and hide from those situations; they gravitate to them.
Golden State's veterans showed their worth in a Game 7 win against the Rockets in the 2024 West playoffs.
• Playoff experience. This can be a bit overstated (as the Thunder proved last summer). In most cases, NBA titles are won on talent more than know-how.
The Warriors and Clippers, however, bring players who have prospered through these situations, reached the NBA Finals, and, in the cases of Curry, Green, Leonard and Horford, won championships. That should count for something come springtime.
Of course, assuming they make the playoffs this season as the league’s two oldest teams, that’s when the age-old age questions will start all over again.
“When we get to the postseason,” said Horford, “that’s a whole other level.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can email him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
