Some around NBA think aging Clippers may already be ‘cooked’

The Clippers wanted to lean into experience. Instead, it’s starting to look like they leaned too far.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst reported that some around the league believe the Clippers may already be “cooked,” pointing to a 3-8 start, an aging roster and a wave of early injuries.

Bradley Beal is done for the season with a hip fracture. Kawhi Leonard is now dealing with both a sprained foot and a sprained ankle. And the veterans L.A. invested in aren’t delivering much help.

Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Bogdan Bogdanovic haven’t been productive to open the year, and Chris Paul has slid completely out of the rotation.

One advance scout put it bluntly to ESPN, saying the Clippers “move so slowly” that once they turn the ball over or give up a quick action, “they can’t recover.”

It’s still early, but with injuries piling up and the roster showing its age, L.A. might be running out of time to prove otherwise.