The Clippers are Old

With the signing of Chuck Hayes, the Clippers expect to open the season with a roster having an average age of 28.9 years. In other words, the Clippers are a lock to be near the top of the Association ins roster's average age. What you take from this observation though can vary. As HoopsHabit (affiliated with Sports Illustrated) points out, the Clippers' roster will only have two players aged 25 or younger that are expected to contribute next year: Austin Rivers (23) and Lance Stephenson (25). Thus the future is a tad murky given the lack of (super) young talent. Doc Rivers has undoubtedly focused his efforts on winning now and has brought in veterans to fill out the team.

Nevertheless, it'd be inaccurate to think of this team as Ye Olde Clippers. The central core remains relatively young. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are a robust 26 and 27. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick are just 30 and 31. Heck, the Clippers were even able to add a super young talent this off-season in Stephenson. This core can compete for a title for the next 5 years. More importantly, the Clippers have also improved their bench, even if its age has not lowered. A 37 year old Paul Pierce is still better than a 36 year old Hedo Turkoglu. A 29 year old Josh Smith is better than a 24 year old Reggie Bullock. This deeper Clippers' roster just needs to keep itself fresh for the playoffs.

So while the Clippers have gotten older, they have also gotten much better.