Getty/Abbie Parr Lester Quinones of the Memphis Tigers reacts after getting eliminated by the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Most of the top lottery picks usually do not spend over two seasons in college. But as the saying goes, the higher the risk, the greater the reward. More often than not players drafted at such a young age are more likely to flame out than turn out to be stars.
The Golden State Warriors have made it a habit of drafting and signing players who were late first-rounders, second-rounders, and off the scrap heap figuratively speaking.
Lester Quiñones is the latest Warrior who may fit the mold of being a solid NBA rotation player in the near future. After playing in three seasons with the Memphis Tigers, the 21-year-old was scooped up immediately after the 2022 NBA Draft by the Dubs.
Before the draft, he made a bold claim to HoopsHype about his shooting prowess.
“I feel like I’m one of the best shooters, if not the best shooter, in this year’s draft, and it’s just my job to show it every workout I go to,” Quiñones told HoopsHype on June 7.
Spending three years in college provided the Dominican guard to mature his game on and off the court. Over his time at Memphis, he had ample training with coaches like Penny Hardaway, Rasheed Wallace, and the wise Larry Brown.
“He joked with me about playing the banjo, but I was very close with Coach Brown, and having him there was just a great opportunity,” Quiñones says. “He, coach Sheed, coach [Cody] Toppert, coach Penny, all of those guys were great coaches, and those were all NBA level guys. Just having an all-NBA staff, was just amazing.”
Larry Brown Expresses Confidence for Quiñones
The legendary coach recently spoke with The Commercial Appeal and raved about his time coaching the Warriors guard.
“Nobody works harder than him,” Brown said. “He can really shoot the ball and is a high-level defender, and enough people saw what he could do. Also, going to Golden State is unbelievable for him. If you look at their roster, they develop a lot of guys like Lester. The fact that he has a two-way takes a lot of pressure off him.
“I think if Lester just continues to work hard and listen, it’s gonna be a really good story.”
Brown admitted he was worried that Quiñones declared for the draft and left Memphis because of how much talent there was already in the draft. However, as Brown says, landing with a team like the Warriors, a team with such a rich history of cultivating talent is a fantastic opportunity for the 21-year-old.
Quiñones Could Play for the Dominican National Team
It was just announced that Quiñones was part of a list of 25 players who had a chance to make the Dominican Republic roster for next year’s World Cup. The list included NBA talents like Karl-Anthony Towns, Al Horford, and Chris Duarte.
The team is slated to play against Panama on August 25 in Santo Domingo and against Venezuela on August 29 in Barquisimeto. It will allow Quiñones to get more exposure to international play as he progresses along in his new professional career. The Warriors brass will definitely be watching.