{"id":161012,"date":"2025-09-30T10:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=161012"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:30:09","slug":"warriors-snatch-unc-title-from-clippers-with-nbas-oldest-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/30\/warriors-snatch-unc-title-from-clippers-with-nbas-oldest-lineup\/","title":{"rendered":"Warriors Snatch \u2018Unc\u2019 Title From Clippers With NBA\u2019s Oldest Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The Warriors<\/a> are headed into the new season with a strange crown: they own the oldest starting lineup in the league. The Clippers<\/a> hold the oldest roster overall, but when it comes to the starting five, Golden State has everyone beat. Gen Z calls it the \u201cunc\u201d title\u2014slang for a guy reaching uncle status, someone seen as old or out of touch.<\/p>\n

Warriors Snatch \u2018Unc\u2019 Title From Clippers With NBA\u2019s Oldest Lineup<\/h2>\n
\"The
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) rebounds the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Warriors have leaned into that title this offseason. Al Horford<\/a> signed on, Gary Payton II<\/a> re-upped, and De\u2019Anthony Melton<\/a> joined the fold. Rumors<\/a> have Seth Curry<\/a> in the mix, while Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> is expected to return once his deal is finalized. This group looks older than ever.<\/p>\n

Clippers vs. Warriors: Who\u2019s the Real “Unc”?<\/h3>\n

The Clippers\u2019 guaranteed roster averages 31.4 years old, compared with Golden State\u2019s 29.1. By roster, the Clippers win the \u201cunc\u201d battle. But the Warriors oldest starting lineup gives them the edge where it matters most\u2014the five on the floor.<\/p>\n

Golden State projects a starting group of Stephen Curry<\/a>, Brandin Podziemski<\/a>, Jimmy Butler<\/a>, Draymond Green<\/a>, and Horford. That averages 33.8 years. If Steve Kerr opts for Buddy Hield\u2019s<\/a> shooting, the number jumps to 35.8. Even if Moses Moody<\/a> slides in for his two-way capability, the average still hovers above 34.<\/p>\n

The Clippers will roll out James Harden<\/a>, Bradley Beal,<\/a> Kawhi Leonard<\/a>, John Collins<\/a>, and Ivica Zubac.<\/a> That averages 31.6\u2014still younger than the Warriors.<\/p>\n

The Age Problem in a Young League<\/h3>\n

Experience matters. Veterans know how to win high-stakes games, but the NBA is still a young man\u2019s league. Last season proved it. The four conference finalists\u2014Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Indiana, and New York\u2014averaged just 26.5 years.<\/p>\n

Older rosters face obvious issues. They are less athletic, slower on closeouts, and more vulnerable to injury. The Warriors owning oldest starting lineup magnifies these risks. With Curry at 37, Butler at 36, Green at 35, and Horford at 39, the margin for error is razor thin.<\/p>\n

Can the Warriors Overcome the Odds?<\/h3>\n

Golden State still has championship DNA. But Father Time is undefeated, and the odds aren\u2019t in their favor. The team\u2019s lack of size and elite rebounding<\/a> remains another flaw. If the Warriors want to stay in the hunt, they\u2019ll need careful minute management and a little luck.<\/p>\n

The Clippers may carry the oldest roster, but the Warriors starting lineup has secured the \u201cunc\u201d belt. Whether that title comes with another ring\u2014or just an early playoff exit\u2014remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The Warriors are headed into the new season with a strange crown: they own the oldest starting lineup in the league. The Clippers hold the oldest roster overall, but when it comes to the starting five, Golden State has everyone beat. Gen Z calls it the \u201cunc\u201d title\u2014slang for a guy reaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":142835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,25,27,3],"tags":[50244,250,409,142,1437,48],"class_list":["post-161012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-clippers","category-news","tag-2025-26-nba-season","tag-al-horford","tag-draymond-green","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-nba-starting-lineups","tag-stephen-curry"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161012"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161017,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161012\/revisions\/161017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}