The Los Angeles Clippers are by far the oldest team in the NBA. In fact, with an average age of 33.2 years old, they rank as the oldest team in league history going into a season. Given the age, fans have poked fun at the franchise, joking that they’re going to be too old to compete. Kendrick Perkins recently joined in on the fun when he made some sheepish remarks about Nicolas Batum and Chris Paul.
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It’s no secret that Batum and Paul are no spring chickens. At 36 and 40, they’re older veterans who have played in the NBA for well over 15 seasons. That’s why Perkins felt the need to point out that they need to get off to a hot start next season, because they’re older, slower, and less durable.
To drive his point home, Perkins made a hilarious joke about the two players.
“Look, I just left the nursing home a couple weeks ago from visiting my grandmother for her 90th birthday, and I saw Nicolas Batum and Chris Paul there. The old folks, the Clippers,” Perkins joked on NBA Today.
The comments were seemingly in jest. But he then warned the Clippers that a slow start would seriously derail their season. That’s why he believes their time is now, and that players like Batum, Paul, and even Kawhi Leonard need to play more consistently in a competitive conference.
“Their the oldest team in the NBA, right? And their time is now. When you think about Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, they need to get it done in the tough Western Conference. They don’t have room to be sitting out. They don’t have room, really, for guys to be injured,” Perkins added.
It’s indeed true. The entire Western Conference got better this offseason. The Rockets added Kevin Durant, the Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg, and the Lakers signed DeAndre Ayton. The Clippers don’t have room to rest players when the season starts, or else they could get left behind.
Perkins then expressed that every night for the Clippers is going to be a grind, and that they desperately need to get off to a hot start because things can quickly come down to one game at the end of the season. Which is not a spot that the team wants itself to be in.
“One game could keep you out of the play-in tournament to get into the postseason, or one game could keep you out of the six spot and get you into the play-in tournament. I feel like this team needs all of the rest that they can at the end of the season. So, they need to be in that top six.”
Additionally, CP3’s veteran leadership will be vital for the Clips if they want to make a deep run and want a chance at the championship, according to Jeff Teague. Paul has proven that he can significantly raise the floor of any team he goes to, and he’ll have to do the same for the Clippers this year.
They’re all good things for the Clippers to keep in mind. Surely, they’ve been hearing all of the noise about how old their team is this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond. They’re a highly motivated franchise with great coaching.
All in all, they were initially funny remarks from Perkins that turned into genuinely good analysis on an older team and why they need to start next season on the right foot. Who knows if this experiment is going to work out in LA? But what we do know is that if they can stay healthy and navigate their way to the playoffs, their veteran experience could win them a series against anyone.
