Los Angeles Lakers: Best seasons in franchise history by 35 and over players
By Jason Reed
One of the narratives surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this season is the team’s age. The Lakers were already led by the oldest superstar in the league in LeBron James, traded for another star over 30 in Russell Westbrook and signed a slew of experienced veterans for the minimum.
There are some young players on the team. Austin Reaves is an undrafted free agent this offseason but is unproven. Talen Horton-Tucker is only going to be 21 in November. Malik Monk is 23 years old, Kendrick Nunn is 26.
Outside of Anthony Davis, who is 28 and turns 29 in March, the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers roster is over the age of 30. The team has five players, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who are over the age of 35.
While the team is old, the Los Angeles Lakers’ age will actually prove to be an advantage this season. It might seem like we are being to optimistic, but there is some precedent for great seasons by old players.
In particular, there are several notable Los Angeles Lakers seasons by players 35 and older.
We are not expecting the likes of Carmelo and Rondo to have all-time seasons at their age but as history has shown, great players can still remain productive late into their careers.
When it comes down to Lakers franchise history, there are six seasons by three different players who were 35 or older that stand out as great seasons. In honor of the roster’s age, we decided to dive into them.