Paschall staying patient as he tries to crack rotation

After missing three games because of coronavirus contact tracing, Warriors forward Eric Paschall was cleared for Tuesday night’s game against the 76ers. But there he was, watching from the bench as Golden State lost 10898.

This was strange for Paschall, who had been a staple of the rotation since the Warriors took him with the 41st pick of the 2019 draft. Head coach Steve Kerr has been tinkering with lineups and, for the time being, Paschall is being told to stay ready.

“We didn’t map it out exactly that he wouldn’t play” Tuesday, Kerr said. “There were some things that went on during the game that just sort of dictated the rotations we went to. It’s a difficult stretch for some people, given that we’ve made some rotational changes. This could be a time where Eric is out of the loop for a little bit.”

Paschall was a bit of a revelation last season. Among rookie qualifiers, he ranked fourth in scoring (14 points per game) and fieldgoal percentage (49.7), fifth in rebounds per game (4.6), eighth in minutes per game (27.6), ninth in freethrow percentage (77.4) and tied for 10th in assists per game (2.1).

As Golden State’s only representative at AllStar weekend, Paschall had 23 points in the Rising Stars Challenge, narrowly missing MVP honors that went to Charlotte’s Miles Bridges. Then, in midSeptember, Paschall became the Warriors’ first AllRookie firstteam selection since Harrison Barnes earned the honor for the 201213 season.

However, Paschall’s role has been less defined this season. After thriving as a smallball center early, he was forced to play more power forward, where he often has struggled. Over his past five games, Paschall is averaging 5 points on 32.3% shooting (22.2% from 3point range), 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

According to NBA.com, the Warriors have outscored opponents by a 2.7 net rating with Paschall on the bench, a far cry from the minus6.8 net rating Golden State has posted with him on the floor. Kerr conceded that becoming more dependable at power forward would be “very valuable” for Paschall — not just for this season, but for his longterm outlook.

“It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s all part of the season,” Paschall said. “Just trying to figure stuff out, so you’ve just got to take the punches and deal with it.”