Why Santa Cruz coach says Quiñones is ready for Dubs audition originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Lester Quiñones’ NBA dreams became that much more of a reality on Wednesday. Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Seth Cooper congratulated Quiñones in front of teammates for a call-up to the big squad, and the next morning showed why the 22-year-old guard earned his opportunity.
Cooper received a call early Thursday morning that a handful of players were hoping to come in and shoot prior to Santa Cruz’s game that night against the Cleveland Charge at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Quiñones was one of them. Not even an hour after getting his work in, the Warriors officially signed Quiñones to a 10-day NBA contract.
Though Quiñones will occupy the Warriors’ 15th and final roster spot, he’ll play Thursday night for Santa Cruz. There’s a chance he plays for the Warriors’ G League affiliate Saturday as well with Santa Cruz hosting the Charge for a 12:30 p.m. PT at Chase Center. Quiñones would then fly to Los Angeles to meet with the Warriors ahead of their Sunday game against the Lakers.
Whenever Quiñones does get his chance to prove himself in front of Golden State’s coaching staff, it’s clear which skill will translate easiest to the next level. The sharpshooter confidently lets it fly.
“It’s the shooting, right away,” Cooper said to NBC Sports Bay Area in a phone interview on Thursday morning. “It’s probably the quickest and easiest thing for him right now.”
The numbers back that up, too.
Through 21 regular-season games in the G League this season, Quiñones is averaging 20.7 points while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range on a high-volume 8.6 attempts per game. Those numbers don’t even tell the whole story. The G League has a regular-season schedule, as well as a showcase circuit, which can make it difficult to navigate full stats for players.
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Between essentially the two seasons, Quiñones actually has played 39 games and has a 46.6 shooting percentage and 38.8 percentage from deep. He has made 109 of his 281 3-point attempts. A third of his made baskets…
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