Jimmy Butler III (left) and Kawhi Leonard are two of the key veteran players on the Warriors and Clippers, respectively.
The LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors meet on Tuesday (8 p.m. PT, NBC and Peacock, Check your local listings) and by all indications this should be an entertaining and suspenseful early season match.
And if these teams, as currently constituted, had met several seasons ago, this game would immediately evoke epic vibes.
James Harden would target his Kia MVP season, Stephen Curry, a year removed from his second Kia MVP, Kawhi Leonard, a first team All-NBA selection and just winning the Kia Defensive Player of the Year award, Chris Paul, still considered the best leader in the game… and so on.
They and most of their veteran teammates on the Warriors and Clippers would all be in their prime, sitting among the league’s ruling class at their respective positions.
Yes, it’s crazy what these players were doing back then…and what they’re being asked to do now in 2025-2026, so deep into their careers.
These Clippers are the oldest team this season, averaging 30.7 years per player (with the Warriors second at 27 per player). By hoarding veterans and giving them significant minutes, these teams take obvious risks, while putting themselves in a position to win and compete.
It’s an intriguing game they’re playing here in the current NBA climate, with all the potential pitfalls that come with older players — and with many older stars showing only marginal signs of slipping, even in their late 30s. It goes both ways.
The Clippers have eight players over 30, with 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 victory against the Nuggets.
The Warriors are giving significant minutes to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford. This quartet has a total of 61 regular seasons and 651 playoff games on their collective corps.
Both teams are positioned to thrive in the competitive Western Conference anyway, where the Warriors are trying to maximize Curry’s remaining years at a high level, while the Clippers exploit what’s left of Leonard and Harden. Barring injury, these teams should be in the mix come playoff time.
“I don’t think the ‘old stuff’ is going to slow us down at all,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said.
Last season, the Sixers were the oldest team at 28.3 years old and failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City, at 24.1, won the championship.
With the 82-game endurance test barely a week old, here are the perils and gems of relying heavily on veterans and what the Clippers and Warriors can experience before it’s all over:
4 dangers of relying on veterans
• Injuries: This is an obvious question. Older bodies tend to be more vulnerable, and some veterans on both of these teams have missed important games in the recent past.
Leonard is the most obvious name here, as he missed the first 34 games last season with right knee issues and brings a checkered history. It’s not just about the risk of injury for these veterans; this is also the recovery time required.
Lue said he plans to take a cautious approach to playing time, at least initially with his core group.
“You don’t want to crush guys,” Lue said. “So in the first half (of the season), reducing their minutes. In the second half, we’ll see where we are.”
• Consecutive games are puzzles: If Warriors coach Steve Kerr sticks to the player management plan, then Horford will not play back-to-back games this season. Managing his minutes – he probably won’t see more than 20 in a game – allows the Warriors to preserve the 39-year-old over a long period of time. It also robs the Warriors of a valuable big man at times; they have 13 back to back.
Horford faced Portland last Friday in the first game of a back-to-back as the Warriors played overtime against Denver the night before. A predictable result ensued: They were run off the field by the younger, faster Trail Blazers, losing by 20.
These back-to-backs are poison pills for veterans, especially those with a history of injuries. The Clippers could play it safe with Leonard this season, as in the past.
While sitting these players back to back could retain them, it can also cost the team in the standings. Which leads to…
• The month of April: Suppose by the final month, the Clippers and Warriors are fighting to avoid the SoFi Play-In tournament or the lottery? Or try to get a better seed in the playoffs? Or a chance for the best record in the West?
“We have to be in a position where we’re not chasing anything for the duration,” Curry said.
The final month of the season can turn into an all-hands-on-deck situation with playoff implications. In this case, we cannot afford to reduce the playing time of key players.
How will these older players’ bodies respond after several months of tread wear and during the intensity of these vital final matches? Most likely, the Clippers and Warriors will adopt a worry mentality when we get there.
• Underdeveloped young talents. With veterans calling the shots for all the significant minutes, this can come at the expense of preparing promising players, primarily for the future.
This has more to do with the Clippers. The Warriors have more of a young/old mix, with Jonathan Kuminga (23) and Brandin Podziemski (22) in the starting lineup and Moses Moody (23) also getting time.
The Clippers, because of the way they are built, are all-in. They don’t prepare anyone. Cam Christie (20) and Kobe Brown (25) do nothing but sweat in practice.
4 pearls relying on veterans
Chris Paul (left), Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have a wealth of playoff experience between them.
• Age gracefully: Today’s league stars are extending their marquee years beyond all logic. Or didn’t you see Curry drop 77 points last week on back-to-back nights?
Curry, Butler, Green, Leonard and Harden remain important players who make the difference. Horford is beneficial, especially defensively and on corner 3-pointers. Paul won’t have big minutes, but Lue trusts him at times.
Whether it’s modern medical technology, better diets and bodybuilding, 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 a lot of… coaching. For example, Lue is a championship proven coach, but exactly what advice or instructions can the point guard give to Paul or Harden?
Having smart, experienced players leads to fewer mental errors, which means fewer turnovers in key moments.
• Clutch capabilities. In the moment of truth, during the final minutes of a close match, the veterans have the advantage. They have seen every possible situation. Their ability to react and anticipate is superb.
Curry and Leonard practically have playbooks on how to make game-winning shots, and there are a couple of reasons why Butler has the nickname “Playoff Jimmy.”
They tend to make plays on either end of the floor that decide games. And they are not afraid to fail. They do not run or hide from these situations; they gravitate around them.
Golden State’s veterans showed their worth in a Game 7 win over the Rockets in the 2024 Western playoffs.
• Playoff experience. This may be a bit of a stretch (as the Thunder proved last summer). In most cases, NBA titles are won more through talent than skill.
The Warriors and Clippers, however, bring together players who have thrived in those situations, reached the NBA Finals and, in the cases of Curry, Green, Leonard and Horford, won championships. That should count for something in the spring.
Of course, assuming they make the playoffs this season as the two oldest teams in the league, that’s when the age-old questions will begin again.
“When we get to the playoffs,” Horford said, “it’s a whole different level.”
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Shaun Powell has been covering the NBA since 1985. You can email him here, find his archives here and follow him on Twitter.
