Golden State Warriors’ guard benched amid early struggles at FIBA World Cup

The Dominican Republic have secured another big win at the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday morning (PT), but they’ve done so without any meaningful contribution from Golden State Warriors’ guard Lester Quinones.

The 22-year-old was benched for the majority of the final three-quarters in his team’s 87-82 win over Italy, though did return late to sink two big free-throws to effectively seal the game with 17 seconds remaining.

Lester Quinones’ struggles to begin the FIBA World Cup have continued following a strong stint with the Golden State Warriors in Summer League.

Those two free-throws were Quinones’ only two points for the game, with the two-way contracted Warrior recording two fouls and a turnover in an incredibly quiet performance second up in the tournament.

Quinones started and played seven minutes and 47 seconds in the opening period, but his lacklustre form clearly drew the ire of head coach Nestor Garcia. He played a grand total of 19 seconds over the remainder of what was a fairly forgettable game from an individual perspective.

Quinones went 0-for-3 shooting from the floor and 0-for-2 from three-point range. He failed to add an assist or a rebound and was a game-low -10 plus-minus in his national team’s five-point victory.

The G League’s 2023 Most Improved Player has now failed to make a field-goal throughout nearly 24 minutes across the opening two games. Quinones had two points (0-for-4 FG, 0-for-3 3PT, 2-for-4 FT), three rebounds and a steal in an 87-81 win over the Philippines in his World Cup debut.

It’s of stark contrast to his Summer League form with the Warriors where he stood a level above the rest, averaging 21.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists during five games in Las Vegas.

The Dominican Republic has now confirmed its passage through to the knockout stage of the tournament, providing Quinones a pressure-free opportunity to bounceback to form in their final group game against Angola on Tuesday.