The Golden State Warriors are just weeks away from kicking off their 2025-26 season with a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State made its first official move of the offseason earlier this week when it signed free agent big man Al Horford to a multi-year deal ahead of his 19th NBA season.
Recently, the Warriors held their annual media day, during which fans got their first look at some of their favorite players ahead of the new season. With a projected starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Horford, the Warriors' average age in that lineup is nearly 36 years old, well over the 31.6 years old that drew the Los Angeles Clippers a host of memes.
Needless to say, fans on social media have been cracking jokes relentlessly about the Warriors' advanced age.
“The Warriors really set up a retirement home,” wrote one account on Facebook.
“Golden State is assembling an ‘unc' team,” added another.
Will the Warriors' age help or hurt them?
Having experience certainly can be a positive thing in today's NBA. Golden State proved that as recently as last year's playoffs, when they defeated the number two seed Houston Rockets in the first round thanks in large part to their veteran calmness compared to the Rockets' panic in crunch time of close games.
However, the Warriors saw the flip side of their advanced age in the following round when Stephen Curry got hurt in Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green didn't have nearly enough in the tank to help carry the team in his absence.
The Warriors have little to nothing in the way of young talent on their roster at the current juncture, so they will be relying heavily on several players in their mid to late 30s to be able to stay on the floor consistently this year, which may not be the wisest strategy in today's fast-paced game.
In any case, the Warriors will kick off their season against the Lakers on October 22 from Los Angeles.
