Ranking the NBA's 10 Oldest Players Heading into 2014-15 Season
As players like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili advance in age, questions loom regarding whether they still can produce. Facing the challenge of rejuvenation for another run after more than 15 times through the 82-game gauntlet—sometimes followed by a dozen or so games in the playoffs—can wear on a player.
Many of those who stay in the league for around 20 years have Hall of Fame qualities, as is the case for Duncan and Ginobili. Thus, they manage to save some redeeming ability in their late 30s.
Others, such as Andre Miller and Nazr Mohammed, make it because their body or skill set allows them a place at their age.
Here is a ranking of the 10 oldest players in the NBA who are either on a roster or are close to joining one. A few players, such as 39-year-old Mike James and 38-year-old Antawn Jamison, did not make the list since they don't appear close to signing with a team.
Comparing these players is less an effort of judging how much of their talent remains and more of how they sustain it. Some players, such as Steve Nash and Jason Terry, have endured serious injuries in the past year. Those who are healthier have a greater benefit of the doubt.
Production is a major measurement. Those who have recently produced significant numbers figure highly.
Also, roles are considered. Playing time differentiates older bench players. Few manage to start in their late 30s. Sixth men with significant scoring loads also push themselves up the list.
Follow along to see which of the oldest players are the most prominent.
10. Nazr Mohammed
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Unlike many on this list, Nazr Mohammed wasn't a starter for most of his career, headlining just 354 of 977 games. Also, unlike six of these players, he won't be a Hall of Fame candidate.
Hence, the 6'10", 221-pound front man is hanging onto less talent than Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili.
With that, the 37-year-old isn't guaranteed a significant number of minutes despite being the Chicago Bulls' only backup center behind Joakim Noah. Mohammed appeared in seven minutes per games last season, a record low for someone playing 80 or more contests, per Basketball-Reference.com.
The 17-year pro doesn't produce much. He averaged 1.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field.
To his credit, he had a 13.6 percent offensive rebounding rate and 21.7 defensive rebounding clip.
9. Steve Nash
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Steve Nash faced a tenuous future after going down last November and appearing in only 15 games. The 40-year-old point guard experienced nerve irritation stemming from his broken left leg suffered in the second game of the 2012-13 season.
While telling NBA.com the 19-year veteran is 100 percent, Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said it took a long time for Nash's 6'3", 195-pound frame to get to this point:
"When nerves are involved, they either get better really quickly, or they take a long, long period of time. There's usually nothing in between. We're in that really long period now. He'll be coming back to Los Angeles this week and all my conversations with him are that he has absolutely no neural issue at this point.
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The 40-year-old point guard made it through the Los Angeles Lakers' first practice in good form on Wednesday. Marc Spears of Yahoo tweeted that Nash was "moving well in scrimmage."
However, as Vitti added, "Now how does that translate into putting on a uniform and getting out there with these guys in a point guard dominated league on hardwood, not on a grass soccer field? I don't think anybody knows."
Whether Nash can maintain good health in regular-season action while making his fast-twitch moves and averaging much less than the 34 minutes per game he played from 2000-01 to 2010-11 is questionable.
If he can approach the 12.7 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting from 2012-13, that would be a success. His assist figure is no certainty since he's playing with a thinner rotation than almost any other season in which he's started. Carlos Boozer and Kobe Bryant are the only productive scorers. Nick Young is exciting yet unpredictable.
Jeremy Lin likely won't be on the court at the same time as Nash, since they'll split minutes.
Placing Nash higher than this position would be tough due to doubts about his leg in what he told InsideSoCal.com will likely be his final campaign.
8. Andre Miller
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Andre Miller has drifted into the periphery late in a respectable career. The 38-year-old point guard hadn't missed more than two games before his 15th year.
But that was due to a confrontation with Denver Nuggets coach Brian Shaw in a Jan. 1 game, not any whaling on his 6'2", 200-pound frame. Miller reflected on the incident that cost him two games and inspired him to go into exile for seven weeks before being traded to the Washington Wizards, telling Michael Lee of The Washington Post:
"They were like, 'If you come back and apologize, it'll be all good.' I wasn't willing to make that decision. Because of my morals, what I felt was the right thing to do for me. I was ready to go. You can tell when a team is thinking about possibly going in a different direction. Wasn't any communication there, and I could just feel the vibe where I was at in the organization, and it was time to move on.
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He averaged 4.9 points and 3.4 assists in 16.9 minutes per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. That field-goal clip was on par with his career mark. Meanwhile, his 29.5 percent assist rate and 14.5 percent usage rate were 5.8 and 6.4 percent off career clips, respectively.
Those metrics indicate that, as a reserve, he's much less forceful in the offense than he was earlier in his career but still helpful for a middling Wizards second unit.
John Wall marveled at Miller's floor leadership, telling Jonathan Abrams of Grantland, "He's still faster than people think he is. He just does a great job of running the team and getting everyone involved."
Backing up Wall doesn't give him an opportunity to help the offense. Miller averaged 3.8 points and 3.5 assists in 14.7 minutes per 28 games with the Wizards. That doesn't separate him from another backup point guard on this list, Pablo Prigioni, who shoots much more from three-point range.
7. Jason Terry
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Jason Terry will struggle to make an impact with the Houston Rockets after being traded three times since July 2013.
The 37-year-old did little for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 4.5 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting while scoring in double figures six times in 35 contests.
The 6'2", 176-pound guard had left knee surgery before the 2013-14 season and decided to rehab his knee rather than join the Sacramento Kings after being traded midseason, per The Sacramento Bee. At age 37, Terry may not be able to regain the form that allowed him to average more than 15 points per game for seven straight years, including five playing mostly as a reserve.
Still, Terry told the Houston Chronicle he feels 100 percent.
If he can stay healthy, he has a shot at another double-digit scoring average due to Houston's lack of depth.
6. Pablo Prigioni
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Pablo Prigioni is more valuable than most players who average less than 20 minutes per game. The 37-year-old is a pass-first backup point guard with dead-eye three-point aim.
Prigioni is a refined passer compared to the average reserve at the point. The third-year player averages 6.6 assists per 36 minutes and has a 26.5 percent assist rate for his career.
That will be critical as he tries to involve Amar'e Stoudemire and help Cleanthony Early's development.
Prigioni is sharp from downtown, hitting 46.4 percent last season and 39.6 percent in his first campaign.
The Argentine does little beside pass and shoot threes. He took 73.3 percent of his 2.9 shots per game from beyond the arc last year. His usage rate was a mere 9.3 percent in 19.4 minutes per game.
Prigioni isn't showing any sign of slowing down after playing 66 games in 2013-14. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.2 assists per game in the FIBA World Cup.
5. Kevin Garnett
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Kevin Garnett survived one of his roughest seasons last year. The 38-year-old power forward started all 54 games he played but averaged 20.5 minutes per game and suffered from back spasms.
In discussing snubs from SI.com's list of the top 100 players, Rob Mahoney described the 20-year veteran as "depressing," saying, "Garnett's body is spent, worn down from year after year of iron-man superstardom."
The 6'11", 220-pound front man lost a significant amount of all-around ability. His 44.1 percent shooting was 5.6 percent off his career mark. He had minus-0.7 offensive win shares and a career-worst 15.5 percent turnover rate.
Still, Garnett hasn't fallen to a Tayshaun Prince level of deterioration. He punishes attackers in the paint, as seen by his 101 points allowed per 100 possessions. He averaged 6.6 rebounds per game but had an impressive 32.1 percent offensive rebounding rate.
Garnett won't lose minutes as Mirza Teletovic continues to develop in his third season. With his long frame and remaining drive, Garnett will carry himself with rebounding and defense.
4. Ray Allen
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Rumors swirl about Ray Allen's impending signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 39-year-old shooting guard hasn't committed yet. Cavaliers general manager David Griffin told Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal, "Until he signs, that's going to be a target for everybody."
Still, Griffin waxed poetic about what the 6'5", 205-pound sharpshooter could bring to Cleveland, saying, "Ray is someone who fits us as a shooter."
Allen would widen their selection of marksmen. Even though he shot 37.5 percent from downtown—2.5 percent below his career mark—Allen would help. He has increasingly focused his energy on long-range attempts, taking 56.9 percent of his shots from that area last season.
That and his 7.4 field-goal attempts per game allowed him to average 9.6 points per game.
Cleveland's bench features a few shooters already, but Allen would figure prominently. Mike Miller is the only other reserve who can produce nearly as much as him from the outside off the bench. James Jones shoots 40.3 percent on threes for his career, but his activity has fluctuated throughout his career. Shawn Marion is subpar from beyond the arc.
Matthew Dellavedova shot 36.8 percent and is far from the sure thing that Allen is at this point.
Allen could sit behind the arc and still make an outsized impact on the Cavs with his three-point aim. Having said that, he should earn more minutes in his 19th season than Garnett will in Brooklyn despite coming off the bench.
3. Vince Carter
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Vince Carter evolved from an automatic scorer who averaged 20 points per game 10 straight years to a high-volume outside shooter. The 37-year-old small forward remains a dangerous offensive player, especially for a low-scoring Memphis Grizzlies team that lacks a powerful perimeter shooter.
The 6'6", 215-pound showstopper benefits the Grizzlies from downtown even more than Allen does the Cavs. He averaged 11.9 points per game while hitting 39.4 percent from three-point range and taking 45.9 percent of his shots from that distance for the Dallas Mavericks.
Whether Carter will start in his 17th season is an open topic. According to Memphis' The Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery (subscription required), the starting small forward spot is open, but head coach Dave Joerger "likely will look to manage Carter's minutes as much as he does [Tayshaun] Prince."
But with Prince's capability dwindling and Quincy Pondexter yet to prove himself as a three-point shooter, Carter should stay around the 24.4 minutes per game he saw last year.
Age may be a concern, but he has warded off serious injury for most of his career, having missed fewer than 10 games since 2003-04.
Carter, like Mike Miller last year, will require the minutes due his offensive skills despite his defensive shortcomings. He allowed 110 points per 100 possessions, which the Grizzlies can live with as he produces the bench scoring Memphis has missed.
2. Manu Ginobili
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Manu Ginobili revitalized last season after a disappointing 2012-13 campaign and listless NBA Finals.
The 37-year-old shooting guard shot 46.9 percent—1.7 percent better than his career mark and 4.4 higher than the year before. Ginobili averaged 12.3 points per game and 19.5 per 36 minutes. The 6'6", 210-pound sixth man averaged 14.3 points per game in the playoffs, including two 19-point performances in the NBA Finals.
Ginobili's per-36 figure was 1.9 more than Carter's.
One remarkable aspect is that he missed fewer games than the previous two seasons while shooting 43.2 percent of his attempts inside 10 feet—3.7 more than in 2012-13. Then again, Gregg Popovich affords him enough games to recover from the effects of his driving attacks.
With that amount of rest, he can age gracefully.
As the CBSSports.com entry for Ginobili in its Elite 100 said, "He's not done yet—not at all."
1. Tim Duncan
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Tim Duncan has remained a high-impact player at age 38. The 6'11", 248-pound center has perfectly preserved his body, having averaged 31.3 minutes or fewer per game in the past five years.
He has stayed dominant defensively, ranking fourth in defensive rating last season and first the year before. He was eighth with a 4.6 percent block rate.
His shooting has never faltered significantly. Duncan shot 49 percent from the field, 1.6 percent below his career mark.
On the glass, Duncan has never waned. He's been in the top 10 in defensive rebounding rate and total rebounding percentage for 15 straight years.
Duncan's 18.7 points, 12 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 36 minutes were impressive for his age.
While ranking the 18-year veteran fifth in the SI.com player rankings, Ben Golliver lamented how observers have spent year after year wondering when Duncan will finish his career.
Rather, the basketball world should admire how Duncan manages to stay strong this long while remaining a force on the boards and on defense.
Unless otherwise noted, advanced metrics come from Basketball-Reference.com.
