Doc Rivers on Kawhi Staying Ready During NBA Hiatus: "Kawhi is Overworking. I can Guarantee you that"

Doc Rivers says Kawhi Leonard will be in phenomenal shape if the NBA season returns.

The NBA season may be on hiatus, but the LA Clippers are not.

During a recent conference call with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Doc Rivers revealed how the Clippers are staying ready for the NBA season. Rivers mentioned Kawhi Leonard in particular, is staying in tremendous game shape.

"I know Kawhi is overworking. I can guarantee you that" - Doc Rivers

If anything, Rivers suggested that there's a potential for the hiatus to be a positive thing for Leonard. "The difference is, during the summer, Kawhi couldn't work, you know, so now he's got this break, and he's able to train," Rivers said.

Rivers stated that both of his superstar players are staying ready for an NBA return. In all honesty, both of them may have needed a break from all the injuries they dealt with. "The Kawhi we'll see will be in phenomenal shape," Rivers said. "PG is another guy that's gonna be in phenomenal shape."

Perhaps the biggest frustration about the season getting postponed is the fact that the Clippers were playing their best basketball at the time. After the All-Star break, the Clippers went 7-2, winning 7 out of their last 8 games. These games included big wins against contending teams like the Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets. "What I know for real was the last 10 games, we were turning into the Clippers," Rivers said. "You could literally feel it."

According to Youngmisuk, the Clippers have provided their players with personal workout equipment to build home gyms if needed. Even though a majority of the team hasn't been able to shoot a basketball, the Clipper organization is doing their best to keep the team prepared through Zoom workouts. 

"If this gets started, you can tell our players are invested in the season," Rivers said. "They don't want this season to go away. And they're working like it is not going to go away."