James Harden, who turned 36 in August, had his worst field-goal percentage since his rookie year last season. Kawhi Leonard, who turned 34 in June, has played 157 of 328 possible games over the past four seasons. As far as franchise foundations go, this might be the flimsiest you’ll find among all championship-hopefuls.
It may have made sense, then, for L.A. to load up on young, energetic, fresh legs around them. This front office went the opposite direction, though, and grew even older over the offseason, adding 32-year-old Bradley Beal, 37-year-old Brook Lopez and 40-year-old Chris Paul.
Admittedly, the Clippers may have expanded their talent base, but this roster is—trying to put this politely—more seasoned than most, so you worry about things like decline and durability. Maybe L.A. dials back the clock and has all of these players looking like the old versions of themselves, or maybe this group just looks old.