Golden State Warriors: Eric Paschall will mean more than Andrew Wiggins

The Golden State Warriors will need to find their death lineup next season, and it may be with Eric Paschall and not Andrew Wiggins.

Andrew Wiggins may be on the max-value contract, but it’s 2019 second-round pick Eric Paschall that’s been proving his worth over the last few games. He’s been huge for the Golden State Warriors since the All-Star break.

The former Villanova Wildcats slipped in the draft after playing in college for five years. He’s 23 years old, the same age as former Warriors star D’Angelo Russell. However, Paschall is living proof that collegiate development can lead to solid play at the highest level.

Trending downward heading into the All-Star break, Paschall has exploded onto the scene following it. He’s shot at least 50% in each of the team’s nine games after the weekend-long hiatus.

Here’s a little breakdown from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater just to show you how well Paschall has been, not just productivity-wise, but more so in his efficiency.

When looking at a potential death lineup in a season, assuming the Warriors draft and start Anthony Edwards, that final position for the last few moments in games may come down to Paschall for the recently-acquired Wiggins.

Both have pros and cons.

Paschall is a bigger, more rebound-focused forward while Wiggins is a proven scorer with a track record of poor defensive play. While that can be blown out proportion at times, Wiggins still doesn’t have the intensity that Paschall has brought on a nightly basis.

Wiggins has managed six 20-point performances in a Warriors uniform. However, he’s only shot over 50% in four of those outings. He’s shot 30% or worse in three of those performances as well, helping showcase how streaky he can be.

For the Warriors, a team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, efficiency is what matters, and moving forward, it should be Paschall who is trusted to get the job done when the team needs it.