Former Golden State Warriors guard Lester Quinones made his preseason debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, playing over 17 minutes in his team's blowout 139-84 victory over the NBL's New Zealand Breakers.
Having remained a free agent for the majority of the offseason, Quinones signed a two-way contract with the 76ers late last month. He wasn't part of the team's rotation during the first-half of Monday's win minus All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, but saw significant playing time in the final two periods where he recorded seven points and three rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting from the floor and 1-of-4 from three-point range.
Former Warriors guard Lester Quinones is trying to push his case for a role with the 76ers
Quinones' biggest highlight came early in the fourth-quarter where he hustled to block a jump-shot on the defensive end, before grabbing the rebound, pushing in transition and receiving the ball back for an open layup.
Despite showing some impressive signs in 37 games with the Warriors last season, the franchise chose not to retain Quinones after two years in the Bay. The 23-year-old was one of the more low-profile departures from Golden State during the offseason, at least in comparison to fellow former guards Klay Thompson and Chris Paul.
.@Effort_les working all 94 ft. 😤 pic.twitter.com/bsY3KoxzPw
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 8, 2024
Speaking of Thompson and Paul, their preseason debuts with their respective new teams will have to wait a little longer after the veterans were both rested on Monday. The Dallas Mavericks rested all three of Thompson, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in their 121-116 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Paul and Victor Wembanyama were both absent from the San Antonio Spurs 112-107 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Paul's debut with the Spurs could come in Wednesday's game against the Orlando Magic at AT&T Center, but Thompson will have to wait until at least Thursday when the Mavericks host the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center.
Quinones wasn't the only former Golden State guard to debut for their new team on Monday though, with Cory Joseph also seeing action for the Magic in their 106-104 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King center.
The 33-year-old played just 26 games for the Warriors last season before being traded to, then waived by the Indiana Pacers, yet he made the most of his eight minutes on Monday with nine points, two rebounds and three assists on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor.