Paschall emerged as rookie to be Warriors’ MVP
With the Warriors’ 201920 season officially done, The Chronicle is reviewing how each player fared, with a look toward the future.
As Eric Paschall heard 40 names called before his on draft night last June, he knew why he had slipped to the second round. Many NBA front offices figured that a 22yearold who spent a halfdecade in college wouldn’t have the upside of his 19yearold counterparts.
But the Warriors took Paschall with the No. 41 pick because, at 6foot6, 255 pounds with a maturity that only experience can bring, he was ready to contribute as a rookie. And that’s what he did. Though numerous players drafted ahead of him toiled mostly in practices and workouts, Paschall emerged as Golden State’s MVP in a lotterybound season.
His ability to attack defenders downhill in isolation was paramount for a team that had its
two best scorers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, sidelined with injuries. On defense, Paschall used his 7foot wingspan, strength and basketball IQ to make life difficult on some of the NBA’s best big men.
As the Warriors slogged to a leagueworst record of 1550, Paschall offered fans something to cheer. The team’s lone representative at AllStar Weekend, he outdueled biggername players, finishing with 23 points in a performance that probably deserved MVP honors (Charlotte’s Miles Bridges got that nod).
When the NBA shutdown arrived in midMarch, Paschall ranked fourth among rookies in scoring (14 points per game) and fieldgoal percentage (49.7), fifth in rebounding (4.6), eighth in minutes per game (27.6), ninth in freethrow percentage (77.4) and tied for 10th in assists (2.1). In coming weeks, when the league announces its endofseason awards, Paschall will be a lock for one of the two AllRookie teams.
Even in a class that features Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Brandon Clarke and Kendrick Nunn, Paschall has a compelling case to make the AllRookie first team. In November, just days into his NBA career, he delivered two 30point outings to finish the month with a teambest 18.1 points per game.
Though Paschall seemed to hit the “rookie wall” — the time each season when the 82game grind takes its toll on newcomers — in December, he recovered in time to make plenty of games interesting down the stretch of the season. His 837 points and 1,654 minutes paced the Warriors.
Analysts disagree on whether Paschall is destined to be an AllStar or just a helpful rotation player and fringe starter, but Golden State knows one thing for certain: It got a steal at No. 41.
Offseason outlook: The Warriors were so high on Paschall that they signed him to a guaranteed threeyear deal at Summer League, which now looks like an important move for the franchise’s future. This is a team that has $441 million tied up in Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green over the next four years.
To vault back into contention, the Warriors need to mine contributions from bargain additions like Paschall. Perhaps the biggest question facing him is whether he can excel at small forward. Paschall was far more successful at power forward as a rookie, but that made it tough for him to play alongside Green.
The Warriors want Paschall to get more comfortable at small forward so that they have more flexibility with the rotation. Paschall and Green are two of their top six players, and it’d be a shame if they couldn’t share a court without infringing on each other’s strengths.