Doc Rivers thinks Ray Allen could still play in NBA next season
The 41-year-old shooting guard is pondering returning for his 20th NBA season.
Ray Allen has already indicated that he’s serious about a potential comeback to the NBA this offseason, and you can count Doc Rivers as one of the believers that the 41-year-old could still make an impact. The Clippers head coach acknowledged at the ABCD Hoop Dreams event in Boston that he has been in touch with Allen this summer about a return to the hardwood. “Yeah, I did [talk to him]. I don’t know [if he’ll return]. I won’t talk about what we talked about,” Rivers said Tuesday night at the TD Garden. “I think if Ray was in the right spot he may play. I think Ray wants to golf a lot too right now, but Ray is in amazing shape. I don’t know how he does that. I didn’t know how he does that as a player; I don’t know how he does it as a non-player. He’s probably in top-five shape in the NBA. So could Ray play? Absolutely, I believe he could.”Allen played under Rivers as a member of the Celtics for five seasons before closing out his career with the Miami Heat. He last suited up for the Heat during the 2013-14 season at age 39, averaging 9.6 points per game and 37.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.The 10-time All-Star listed the Spurs and Warriors along with the Clippers as contending teams he was considering playing for last month. He also did not rule out the Celtics and Bucks as potential destinations for his 20th NBA season if it comes to fruition in an interview with the Hartford Courant last month. “I would love going back to those places if it worked out,” Allen said of Boston and Milwaukee, “because both teams are good, too. It doesn’t necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA.”“I want to be in a situation where I thought I could help, play a little bit and help where they have good young talent.”
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