Recent tweets showcased Kawhi Leonard in the gym as the 2022 offseason continues.
While the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors battle in the NBA Finals, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers have already begun preparations for the 2022-23 NBA season.
A recent picture depicting Kawhi, fresh off a workout, was posted to Twitter by a coach Leonard has known since his AAU days, Clint Parks.
Parks, who has since fostered a clientele list that includes Kyle Kuzma, Ben McLemore, and of course, Leonard, is a league-respected trainer in his own right.
From the high school days in empty gyms just trying to make a way for their families this runs deep. Year 10 and year 12 on the way so damn proud of them. Nothing like being in the lab with the family . #CPSA #TMC pic.twitter.com/l8qDWgY06T
— Clint Parks (@ClintParks05) June 10, 2022
In another tweet from that day, including a #KL2 hashtag and thus likely documenting the same workout, Parks says that he “felt like [he] was in the lab with MJ today.”
This news will almost undoubtedly make Clippers fans even more excited for next season, as Leonard, the Clippers’ most prolific weapon, seems well on his way toward a full recovery from an ACL injury he suffered last year in the playoffs, an injury that cost him the entirety of last season. Today marks 11 months since he underwent surgery for that same injury, and Leonard will have another four more before the start of the next NBA season to continue fine-tuning his body and putting in work in the gym.
When the NBA tips off the 2022-23 season, it will have been a full 16 months since Leonard last graced an NBA court. So while Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers are limited to watching the NBA Finals from their couches for now, their activity in the gym (led by Leonard) however, suggests the collective desire for a deep playoff run of their own next season. And if Leonard can stay healthy, they just might be able to meet those lofty gaols.
So for Clippers fans, who have been awaiting just that type of run from this group, this news — and the prospects of a healthy Kawhi this year during training camp — could not be more welcome.