Youngest NBA Teams: The kind of brilliance we have witnessed from the young players in today’s NBA is all everyone can speak about. Certain older players and teams are also playing at a high level, even if it’s true that many youthful stars and teams are astounded by their performances. The ten oldest and ten youngest teams in the NBA today are ranked below based on the average age of their 15-man rosters. We’ll also look at how they’re doing in this exciting 2023–24 NBA season.
10 Oldest NBA Teams
1. Los Angeles Clippers – 29.1 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On Team:
1. P.J. Tucker – 38 Years Old
2. Russell Westbrook – 35 Years Old
3. James Harden – 34 Years Old
By average age, the Los Angeles Clippers hold the dubious distinction of being the NBA’s oldest team. As of right now, they have a 19-12 record and are ranked fourth in the Western Conference. The 34-year-old Paul George and the 33-year-old Kawhi Leonard are leading them, but James Harden, 34, and Russell Westbrook, 35, are also making significant contributions.
They aren’t too concerned about their ages influencing their play, in my opinion, as all four of their Big Four are above 33 and are guiding this team to the conference championship.
2. Milwaukee Bucks – 28.8 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On Team:
1. Robin Lopez – 35 Years Old
2. Brook Lopez – 35 Years Old
3. Damian Lillard – 33 Years Old
4. Jae Crowder – 33 Years Old
Given that the Milwaukee Bucks are the second-oldest club in the NBA, someone ought to have informed them that they shouldn’t be 24-8 on the season and only two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. At 35 years old going into the season, the two oldest players on the squad are the Lopez brothers, Robin and Brook. Damian Lillard, one of Milwaukee’s most valuable off-season additions, averages 25.9 points per game on 43.9% shooting and is also one of their older players.
Positively, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the franchise’s mainstay, is only 29 years old and at his peak, so he should be able to guide the team for a while.
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3. Philadelphia 76ers – 28.6 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Nic Batum – 35 Years Old
2. Patrick Beverley – 35 Years Old
3. Marcus Morris – 34 Years Old
The Philadelphia 76ers are among the greatest teams in the NBA and have the third-oldest average age in the league at 28.6 years old. The Sixers, who are 22-10 on the season and third in the Eastern Conference, are likewise near the top of their conference rankings, suggesting that experience is winning out over youth. Their MVP, 29-year-old Joel Embiid, is leading the charge with 35.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, while the majority of their older players are playing smaller roles.
Anticipated All-Star At just 23 years old, Tyrese Maxey is also enjoying a breakthrough season, averaging 26.1 points and 6.5 assists per game on 45.8% shooting.
4. Golden State Warriors – 28.5 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Chris Paul – 38 Years Old
2. Stephen Curry – 35 Years Old
3. Draymond Green – 33 Years Old
4. Klay Thompson – 33 Years Old
With an average age of 28.5 among their squad, the Golden State Warriors are the first team to show signs of age-related slowdown. With nine players on its roster who are presently over 30, including the nucleus of their four championship campaigns, the Warriors are finding it difficult to regain their position as the dominant team. Chris Paul, who is 38 years old and the team’s oldest player, is leading even their bench.
With the team now sitting at 15-17 for the season, it’s possible that the Golden State Warriors, who won four NBA titles from 2015 to 2022, are coming to an end.
5. Miami Heat – 27.8 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Kyle Lowry – 37 Years Old
2. Kevin Love – 35 Years Old
3. Jimmy Butler – 34 Years Old
The Miami Heat, who have four players 30 years of age or older for the 2023–24 season, are another club defying the norm in terms of player age. The two players on the squad over 35 are Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love, both of whom have battled with injuries and their current responsibilities. Having said that, the Heat have played 32 games in 2023–24 and are 19–13 for the season, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat, who had an amazing run in the Finals the previous season, are never one to listen to the noise and count themselves out. If they are a club that plays for the East in the Conference Finals once more this season, don’t be shocked.
6. Phoenix Suns – 27.7 Years
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Eric Gordon – 35 Years Old
2. Kevin Durant – 35 Years Old
3. Bradley Beal – 30 Years Old
When the Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant during the previous season, they knew they would eventually end up on this list. Bradley Beal is the only other player on the Suns above 30 years old, making Durant the team’s oldest player this season along with Eric Gordon. The Suns are now 17-15 on the season and seventh in the Western Conference, having suffered due to injuries and depth concerns.
Fortunately for them, they have a perfect record of 2-0 in these types of games this season when Durant, Bradley, and Devin Booker are starting.
7. Toronto Raptors – 27.3 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Garrett Temple – 37 Years Old
2. Thaddeus Young – 35 Years Old
3. Chris Boucher – 31 Years Old
To put it mildly, the Toronto Raptors are an intriguing club on this list. Despite being among the ten oldest teams in the NBA this year, their oldest players have played incredibly little and done very little to help the team’s current 12-20 record and 12th-place finish in the East.
This past weekend, the Raptors made a transaction, sending the younger RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to New York in exchange for the 26-year-old OG Anunoby. Mainstay Pascal Siakam of the franchise is reportedly up for trade as the organisation prepares to rebuild around 22-year-old sensation, Scottie Barnes.
8. Dallas Mavericks – 27.3 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Markieff Morris – 34 Years Old
2. Seth Curry – 33 Years Old
3. Maxi Kleber – 32 Years Old
4. Dwight Powell – 32 Years Old
Even though Luka Doncic, who is only 24 years old, has been leading the Mavericks for the past few seasons, they will feature seven players over 30 in their starting lineup for the 2023–24 campaign. With a 19-14 record and a tie for sixth place in the West after 33 games, the Mavericks are off to a respectable start despite their advanced age.
Although Dallas is now the fourth-oldest team in the Western Conference of the NBA, they are clearly headed in the right route for this season and beyond given that Doncic is their leader and they have had good play from rookie Dereck Lively, who is only 19 years old.
9. Boston Celtics – 27.2 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Al Horford – 37 Years Old
2. Jrue Holiday 33 Years Old
3. Derrick White – 29 Years Old
It is evident that age has little bearing on these lineups when we approach the bottom half of the ten oldest NBA teams. With just two players over thirty on their roster, the Celtics presently own the best record in the NBA at 26-5 for the season. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who will be 27 and 25 years old, respectively, in 2023–24, provide the foundation of their team.
The Celtics have championship dreams for 2023–24 and appear to be headed in that direction as the season progresses, despite having the ninth-oldest squad in the league.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers – 27.1 Years (15 Players)
Oldest Players On The Team:
1. Tristan Thompson – 32 Years Old
2. Georges Niang – 30 Years Old
3. Caris LeVert – 29 Years Old
With an average age of 27.1 throughout their squad, the Cleveland Cavaliers round out the top 10 oldest NBA teams this season. The Cavaliers only have two players who are 30 years of age or older: Tristan Thompson and Georges Niang. Fortunately for them, they have an 18-14 record and, after 32 games, are sixth in the East thanks to their youth.
The Cavaliers’ core group of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley is still under 28 years old, which is why they have been so successful in the early going of the season even though they barely made the top 10 oldest teams in the league.
10 Youngest NBA Teams
1. Portland Trail Blazers – 23.9 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Scoot Henderson – 19 Years Old
2. Rayan Rupert – 19 Years Old
3. Shaedon Sharpe – 20 Years Old
The Portland Trail Blazers, who have an average age of 23.9, are now officially the youngest NBA club after dealing Damian Lillard this summer. They are currently 14th in the West and only 9-22 on the season, so it hasn’t exactly worked out for them to develop around their youthful talent.
The most exciting part about this Portland club, which has only one player over 30 on the roster in Malcolm Brogdon, is arguably looking forward. Although the future of the young squad in the West appears grim at the moment, they have a wealth of young players who have the ability to turn everything around.
2. San Antonio Spurs – 24.0 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Sidy Cissoko – 19 Years Old
2. Victor Wembanyama – 20 Years Old
3. Jeremy Sochan – 20 Years Old
4. Dominick Barlow – 20 Years Old
5. Blake Wesley – 20 Years Old
6. Malaki Branham – 20 Years Old
Despite having a young roster all the way down, the San Antonio Spurs are another squad having trouble in 2023–24. The Spurs, led by 20-year-old sensation Victor Wembanyama, are just 5-27 for the season as they struggle to overcome a challenging Western Conference and most of its young players are still getting used to a whole different environment.
Having 12 players under 25 and only one over 35 on the squad is fantastic news since it means there is a lot to look forward to in the future.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – 24.1 Years ( 15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Ousmane Dieng – 20 Years Old
2. Cason Wallace – 20 Years Old
3. Chet Holmgren – 21 Years Old
4. Josh Giddey – 21 Years Old
5. Jaylin Williams – 21 Years Old
It is astonishing that the Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten things so well so soon considering that they are among the youngest teams in the NBA this season. With the majority of their output coming from their core group of players who are 25 years of age or younger, the Thunder are 22-9 on the season. With 31.2 points and 6.3 assists per game, 25-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP-caliber season, and rookie Chet Holmgren has had a huge influence thus far.
This youthful club is demonstrating that they are a team that should be taken seriously and that they have what it takes to compete with the best teams in the league for an NBA title in 2023–2024, in addition to their pursuit of a top postseason seed.
4. Charlotte Hornets – 24.3 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Nick Smith Jr. – 19 Years Old
2. Brandon Miller – 21 Years old
3. JT Thor – 21 Years Old
4. Bryce McGowens – 21 Years Old
There has never been a more youthful roster for the Charlotte Hornets than there is this season. With no apparent end in sight to their suffering, they are at 7-22 on the season. Ten of the Hornets’ players are under the age of 25, and franchise player LaMelo Ball hasn’t been able to play since November 10 due to yet another serious injury.
Over the past ten years, the Hornets have consistently been among the weakest teams in the league due to a series of unfortunate picks of young players.
5. Orlando Magic – 24.3 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Jett Howard – 20 Years Old
2. Anthony Black – 20 Years Old
3. Paolo Banchero – 21 Years Old
4. Caleb Houston – 21 Years Old
This season, the youthful Orlando Magic are another squad that is outperforming expectations. Nine players on their squad are under 25, including the dynamic pair of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who are both younger than 23. With a 19-13 record to begin the season, the Magic have shocked a lot of people in 2023–24 and are now in the heart of the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
6. Brooklyn Nets – 24.9 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Dariq Whitehead – 19 Years Old
2. Noah Clowney – 19 Years Old
3. Keon Johnson – 21 Years Old
The average age of the rosters of the Brooklyn Nets and two other teams is 24.9 years, making them the sixth youngest teams in the NBA. The Nets have had a difficult 2023–24 season thus far; they are now three games below 500 and way out of the East playoff picture. While Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges, who were acquired in the Kevin Durant deal, are just 27 years old, Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton, two important members of the club, are only 22 years old.
7. Utah Jazz – 24.9 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Keyonte George – 20 Years Old
2. Brice Sensabaugh – 20 Years Old
3. Taylor Hendricks – 20 Years Old
The Utah Jazz are another team that enters with players that are, on average, slightly younger than 25. This season, the Jazz have nine players under the age of twenty-five in their lineup. Among those guys, rookie Keyonte George is having the most impact, along with defensive end Walker Kessler, who is guarding the paint as if his life depended on it.
The Jazz are presently 12th in the Western Conference and 14-19 on the season. Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk are the only two players that are older than thirty.
8. Detroit Pistons – 24.9 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Jalen Duren – 20 Years Old
2. Jaden Ivey – 21 Years Old
3. Ausar Thompson – 21 Years Old
The Detroit Pistons are a club that might easily justify their poor performance by pointing to their youth. With 13 players under the age of 25, the Pistons are just 3-29 in 2023–24 after a franchise-high 28-game losing run. Nine of those 13 players—including standout point guard Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Hardy, and Ausar Thompson—have been required to assume crucial roles for the squad this season.
The Pistons probably won’t bounce back to do anything noteworthy this season, but with all of the young talent they have amassed, any astute basketball fan will tell you that they are a team to watch in the future.
9. Indiana Pacers – 25.1 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Jarace Walker – 20 Years Old
2. Benedict Mathurin – 21 Years Old
3. Ben Sheppard – 21 Years Old
With 11 players on its roster who are 25 years of age or younger, the Indiana Pacers are now the ninth-youngest team in the NBA. With a team scoring average of 126.6 points per game, the Pacers have been inconsistent in 2023–24 and have the top-scoring offence in the NBA. Tyrese Haliburton, a 23-year-old All-Star who has averaged 24.6 points and 12.8 assists per game through 28 games played, has been the driving force behind this rise.
Despite having one of the best offences in the NBA, their defence is among the worst, which has contributed to their poor 17-14 record after 31 games.
10. Memphis Grizzlies – 25.5 Years (15 Players)
Youngest Players On The Team:
1. Gregory Jackson – 19 Years Old
2. Jake LaRavia – 22 Years Old
3. Ziaire Williams – 22 Years Old
4. David Roddy – 22 Years Old
The Memphis Grizzlies, who are now 12th in the Western Conference standings and 10-22 on the season, complete the list of the top 10 youngest NBA teams this year. After point guard Ja Morant returned, the squad has improved significantly, but there is still more work to be done to make up for lost time.
They will rely on their youthful squad, which features ten players under the age of 25, including Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, to turn things around.
