Come opening night in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors will probably make history right away when they trot out a starting lineup of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, and whoever else Steve Kerr chooses.
The record? The Warriors will be the first team ever in NBA history to start four players aged at least 35 or older. Yep, the Dubs’ best players are getting up there in age, with Green being the youngest of the four at 35. Butler, Golden State’s prized acquisition last season, turned 36 just this September, while Curry is 37. Horford, who recently signed with the Warriors, is the oldest at 39.
What’s the Oldest Starting Lineup Anyway?
At the moment, the oldest ever starting lineup the NBA has ever seen was the one the Utah Jazz fielded back in the 2000–01 NBA season, when Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan started John Stockton (38), John Starks (35), David Benoit (36), Karl Malone (38), and Olden Polynice (36). That starting lineup had an average of 35.6 years.
This season—on opening night even—Golden State can outright get the record for oldest starting five ever should Kerr let anyone of Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, and Seth Curry start alongside Curry, Butler, Green, and Horford.
If Payton or Hield, who are both 32, get the nod, the Warriors’ starting lineup will have an average of 35.8 years, which is slightly older than that of the Jazz over two decades ago. If Seth gets the start, however, the Dubs’ average age would go up to 36.4 as the younger Curry is already 35.
Warriors Are Oldies But Goodies
In some ways, trotting out an oldish starting lineup could be a cause of concern. Then again, if recent form is any indication, the Warriors’ Big Four looks to have plenty of juice left, so to speak.
Last season, Curry played 70 games and put up 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals, though he shot just 39.7% from downtown (only the second time in his career he shot less than 40% from deep). Butler, on the other hand, averaged 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals and was visibly energized once he got traded to the Warriors.
Green, on the other hand, was also still quite productive with per-game averages of 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 block while being the Warriors’ defensive lynchpin. Horford, meanwhile, put up 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 block as the starting center for the Boston Celtics.
So, yes, these are your “Tito Warriors”—but they could very well end up as title contenders as the season
