There was much nostalgia across the NBA when 40-year-old point guard Chris Paul signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in what could very well his last season in the NBA. Paul, who played six seasons (2011-2017) with the Clippers during his prime, considers Los Angeles his home since his family is based there.
When Paul left for the Houston Rockets in the 2017-2018 season, his family traveled with him but ultimately stayed in Los Angeles after he moved to Oklahoma in 2019-2020. Since then, Paul has been away from his wife and two children with stints with the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs.
Not only will Paul “reunite” with his family, but he is also joining up with former All-Star teammate James Harden. During their two-year stint with the Houston Rockets, the duo led the Houston Rockets to the franchise’s best regular season record (65-17) in 2017-2018. In the 2018 playoffs, the team was leading the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals before a hamstring injury to Paul in Game 5 enabled the Warriors to win the next two games.
Paul is the latest of Clippers’ signings that saw them bring in other veterans namely shooter Bradley Beal, center Brook Lopez, and forward John Collins. They join a team that also has resident superstar Kawhi Leonard.
On paper, the Clippers look good, and some pundits say that they can be considered contenders with all the veteran talent. However, the team lacks one thing to contend – youth.
With the Paul signing, the Clippers are now the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of over 33-years-old. Harden will turn 37 before the start of the next season and Lopez (37), Nicolas Batum (36) Leonard (34), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (33) are on the wrong side of their prime. Beal (32) is no spring chicken either.
The biggest concern for this team is the age and its health impact given the history of their stars. Leonard, considered the best player on the team with two titles under his belt, has missed nearly 100 regular season games over the past three seasons due to knee troubles. New recruit Beal has also missed the same number of games over the period due to various injuries.
There is also the fact that Paul and Harden’s former team, the Houston Rockets have loaded up by signing the old but more durable Kevin Durant. The Denver Nuggets too have made key trades to add more depth to give more help to resident superstar Nikola Jokic.
Of course, the Clippers need to beat the defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder who won the title with the second youngest average age in NBA history. The Thunder core has yet to hit their prime and the team has managed to bring back all their players for another run.
Youth, health, and athleticism is the league’s new reality to win championships, but Paul and company have unfinished business and are out to prove naysayers wrong.
With Father Time slowly gaining on them, this might very well be the last dance, the last shot at a championship for the Clippers’ aging core.
