Golden State Warriors rookie Eric Paschall quickly made himself into one of Steve Kerr's most trusted assets, as his strong-minded play and NBA-ready body made him one of the key pieces of an otherwise putrid season.
Paschall was the third of the three selections the Warriors made in the 2019 NBA Draft, selecting Jordan Poole (No. 28) and Alen Smailagic (No. 39) ahead of him.
Questions were raised about Paschall's fit with the Warriors once the team gets back a healthy Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and a returning Andrew Wiggins — not to mention a mostly rested Draymond Green.
General manager Bob Myers hinted Paschall could be closing games next season, so long as he improves on a few aspects:
“He’s a candidate to finish games,” said Myers with the aforementioned four in mind to round out the lineup. according to Wes Goldberg of The San Jose Mercury News. “But we’re going to have to see what that (3-point shot) looks like.”
Paschall shot a measly 28.7% from deep as a rookie, making shy of one 3-pointer per game. Behind the scenes, the Warriors training staff has been working on a less-taxing, more compact shot, which would allow him to preserve more legs than his scissor-like mechanics.
If Paschall can get close to the mid-to-high 30s with his three-ball, he would make a deadly addition next to two poke-your-eye-out snipers in Curry and Thompson and a much-improved Wiggins.
The rookie out of Villanova faces some of the same issues Green had during the start of his tenure in the league, a tweener that could play small or power forward under the right system.
If Paschall starts getting his 3-pointers to drop, he could soon carve a niche in one of the most formidable starting lineups out West.
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