The Golden State Warriors were left with no choice but to begin racking up young talent last season. Eric Paschall is the prospect who stands out the most.
Injuries have been hitting the Golden State Warriors hard ever since the 2019 NBA Finals. The silver lining from all of these downfalls is that young players like Eric Paschall were granted an opportunity they otherwise would not have had.
Klay Thompson missed the entire season while Stephen Curry appeared in only five games. Meanwhile, Draymond Green used any excuse he could to sit down and rest without his fellow stars. Consequently, the Warriors consistently outed lineups filled with G-League prospects and young guys.
This is a big reason as to why the Dubs won just 15 games this season. However, the Warriors did manage to see some significant performances from the late second-round pick, Paschall.
Paschall averaged 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds on the season and awed analysts with his raw athleticism. He runs the floor well and is bulky enough to go toe-to-toe with bigger opponents. Paschall is a strong finisher and has the potential to be a reliable rim runner.
He stood out among the rest of the Dubs young core, featuring players like Jordan Poole, Ky Bowman and Alen Smailagic. Paschall is a better offensive prospect than all of them and is already a more worthy defender.
Where Paschall’s game is lacking is his shooting ability. He had a few games where he was knocking down 3-pointers with ease but still shot below 30 percent from the 3-point line on the season. This factor will determine whether Paschall is a heavy rotational player or just additional depth for the Dubs.
Monitoring Paschall’s development will be key for Golden State. They aren’t fully invested in a rebuild yet but there is no denying Paschall is their most valuable young asset at the moment.