Paschall's Insertion as Reserve Center has Boosted Warriors
As the Warriors have won six of their last eight contests, much of the credit goes to Stephen Curry, and rightfully so – the two-time MVP dropped a career-high 62 points last week against the Portland Trail Blazers before scoring 38 points in Friday’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
But the emergence of an undersized center after the long-term injury to Marquese Chriss hasn’t just kept Golden State afloat, it has kept up the Warriors’ winning.
Second-year player Eric Paschall has taken on the likes of Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, Hassan Whiteside and Pascal Siakam since his insertion as a reserve five behind rookie center James Wiseman. He has scored in double figures in his last eight games, including 19 points in the Jan. 6 loss to the Clippers, tied for the team-high.
“(Paschall) immediately seized that role and run with it,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s able to use his athleticism and get his hands on the ball and get to the rim.”
One way to keep seven-footers clogging up the restricted area honest is to use a handle to create space and successfully shoot the midrange, and the six-foot-six Villanova product has done just that.
Nobody who is featuring the “long-two” in their arsenal – a shot that is supposed to be dead in the modern NBA – as much as Paschall has is shooting it this well. He entered Sunday making 61.5% of his jumpshots between 16 feet away from the basket and the three-point line, the highest of any player in the league taking more than 16% of their shots from that area.
In an interview with 95.7 The Game, Paschall also credited his quickness and toughness as catalysts in his success as a smaller center.
“I feel like it’s a little bit of both (speed and strength) in terms of my ability to get to my spots and shoot my midrange jumper,” Paschall said. “And if they come up on a midrange jumper, I’m able to go by them.”
Much of the explosiveness from his 2019-20 All-Rookie First Team season has survived the pandemic, as Paschall continues to go to the rim with authority as a roller.
His early returns from beyond-the-arc are also promising, potentially allowing him to stretch out larger centers even further, with Paschall entering Sunday shooting 37.5% from distance after hitting just 28.7% of his threes in his rookie season.
Paschall is averaging 12.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game after averaging 13.7 and 4.4, respectively, last season, and entered Sunday fifth in the league among bench players in field goal percentage and 17th across the entire association (54.8%), with his offensive rating of 127.7 good for 16th in the NBA. He is also third in the team in scoring while pacing the reserve unit.
On the other side of the ball, Paschall is taking away minutes from Kevon Looney, who has shown the ability to both defend big men and switch onto guards on the perimeter.
Albeit as a forward last season, the undersized Paschall’s defense around the restricted area was abysmal, especially in comparison to other returners for Kerr at the five.
Chriss – who started 21 games for the Warriors last season – held opponents to 52.9% on field goals within six feet of the hoop in 2019-20, while Looney and Paschall were scored on 58.7% and 65.2% of the time, respectively, in the same area.
Despite previous struggles and being thrown into the fire against NBA bigs with six inches on him, Paschall doesn’t lack confidence, and still has help down low from a Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green.
“I feel like I’m strong enough to guard in the post,” Paschall said. “Having Draymond back is huge for our energy. He talks so much.”
At full strength and in the future, Paschall may not see much time for Golden State at the five.
But in an atypical season, the former second rounder is using abilities uncommon for the center position to his advantage.
“I feel like I’m a mismatch at the five,” Paschall said.