Paschall thriving as small-ball center
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pulled Eric Paschall aside before a recent practice and gave him a new assignment: He’d be playing center.
“He was like, ‘That’ll give you an opportunity to get the ball in your hands more and attack other bigs,’” Paschall said Wednesday before the Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center. “So, I was like ‘That’s fine with me.’”
As a result of Marquese Chriss suffering a broken leg in a scrimmage in Chicago, the Warriors had a hole in their center rotation. Kerr saw an opportunity to fix two problems at once: fill minutes at a position of need and put Paschall in a better position to succeed.
Paschall, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound brick wall of a player, had failed to make an impact as the starting power forward, Now he is thriving.
In five games as a small-ball center, Paschall has scored in double- digits every game and helped anchor a second unit for a Warriors team that has won four of its last five.
This isn’t a new position for Paschall, who was selected to the All-Rookie first team last season after averaging 14 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a power forward. During Paschall’s four years at Villanova, head coach Jay Wright routinely played him at center in order to leverage his strength, downhill speed and leaping ability.
“Obviously it’s not the NBA, but it’s something I did through college,” Paschall said. “So, I’m very comfortable with it.”
However, Paschall was uncomfortable starting in place of an injured Draymond Green at power forward to open the season, as he was asked to play off the ball, guard multiple positions and make 3-pointers from the corner. In two games, he averaged 6.5 points on 35.7% shooting (1- of- 4 from 3-point range), 1.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
But after the move to center, he looked more like the standout rookie who used his strength, athleticism and isolation prowess to ram to the basket Against the Trail Blazers, Paschall out- played Portland’s backup center Enes Kanter, a traditionally- sized big man who thrives in the post.