30 over 30: NBA’s best veterans above the age of 30

30-over-30: The NBA’s best veteran players – 30-27

The Utah Jazz pivoted two seasons ago from their “twin towers” approach to the frontcourt, swapping out Derrick Favors (back in Utah at backup center now) for Bojan Bogdanovic, who spaces the floor at the 4 but represents a defensive downgrade. Luckily for the Jazz, they have the league’s best defensive center in Rudy Gobert alongside him to clean up.

Injuries have sapped both athleticism and playing time from Blake Griffin, but he is still an incredibly skilled big man with the ability to set up teammates and space the floor. His days of rocking the rim multiple times a game are likely gone, but he can still get up for a dunk every now and then. On the Brooklyn Nets, he can be deployed strategically to make an impact without taking on a heavy minutes load. If his body can hold up, he still has the juice to be one of the Nets’ five best players this postseason.

Andre Iguodala can no longer be a high-minutes player, but nothing suggests he has lost his touch as one of the league’s savviest defenders. Few in the league are more capable of guarding LeBron James than Iguodala, a feat that earned him a Finals MVP award in 2015. As a reserve on the Miami Heat he helped to propel them to the Finals last season, and this year he continues to help with defense, passing and smart cuts in a bench role.

The Denver Nuggets made a deal at the trade deadline for Aaron Gordon, who has proven to be an excellent fit at power forward. In doing so they traded away longtime starter Gary Harris, confident that they had a replacement ready to step up. Will Barton is thriving in his role as the fifth option on offense, able to take advantage of the opponent’s worst defender. Having lost Harris and Torrey Craig in the last calendar year, the Nuggets will need Barton as their only true wing option in the rotation.