Wrist injury sidelines Paschall
Warriors forward Eric Paschall sat out of practice Wednesday with a sore left wrist and will miss Thursday night’s game in Miami.
This comes at a time when Paschall, who missed Monday’s win over the Bulls with the injury, has struggled to crack Golden State’s rotation. After missing three games because of coronavirus contact tracing, Paschall was cleared to return last week, only to sit out losses to Philadelphia and Sacramento before he logged just nine minutes in Friday’s loss to Atlanta.
The problem for Paschall is that he doesn’t have a clearly defined role. Though he found some success early in the season as a smallball center, he has had a tougher time getting consistent minutes at that spot now that the Warriors are making center James Wiseman’s development more of a priority. Paschall has yet to prove he can be a reliable small forward or power forward, which, given the numbers crunch head coach Steve Kerr faces, has left him anchored on the bench.
Paschall — an AllRookie firstteam selection last season after he averaged 14 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game — is a solid scorer who does well in isolation situations. But as a role player on the Warriors, he needs to be effective within the flow of Kerr’s system and show that he can be a capable defender. His rebounding and defense, particularly on the help side, are suspect.
It hasn’t helped Paschall that his season has been interrupted by injuries and coronavirusrelated absences. Thursday will mark his eighth game sidelined. Paschall has missed four games because of the league’s health and safety protocols, two with a sore right knee and one with that sore left wrist.
His recent nosedive in production — 5.5 points on 37.1% shooting (30% from 3point range), 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13.7 minutes over his past six games — has raised questions about Paschall’s longterm organizational fit. Though Paschall is under contract in 202122 at an affordable $1.8 million, the Warriors might want to shop him next season or not resign after the season if he can’t prove more helpful.
“This is part of being a young NBA player,” Kerr said. “Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. You just have to keep working and trust that your work will pay off, and the next time you get your opportunity, you’ll be ready for it.
“So, I’ve talked to Eric. He’s in good spirits, and he’s done a great job of staying ready, staying alert. He’s just continuing to work through this difficult season.”