Paul Pierce may battle Wesley Johnson for the Clippers' starting small forward role in training camp, the Orange County Register reports.

Pierce may battle Wesley Johnson for the Clippers' starting small forward role in training camp, the Orange County Register reports.

Analysis:

Although Pierce has started all but 10 games in his 17-year career, he's entering his age-38 season with more than 44,000 minutes on the odometer, placing him 19th on the all-time list. Most, if not all, of the players ahead of him remained in the starting lineup until the end of their respective careers, but coach Doc Rivers' decision may eventually come down to keeping Pierce fresh for the playoffs. In addition to the long-term ramifications, Pierce's new-found ability to act as a stretch-four will provide versatility to units composed entirely of reserves like Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, and Jamal Crawford. With trends (his workload has decreased in five consecutive campaigns) and depth at forward working against him, Pierce is poised for a further reduction of the 26 minutes of run he garnered with the Wizards last season, no matter if he starts or comes off the bench.