Future Watch: Eric Paschall Rookie Basketball Cards, Warriors – After an impressive five year run that included five straight appearances in the NBA Finals and three titles, the Golden State Warriors are off to a slow start this season. Kevin Durant is gone, Klay Thompson is out for the season recovering from an ACL injury and Stephen Curry is out until the spring with a broken hand. Draymond Green is still around, although he’s dealing with his own injury issues. That leaves newcomer D’Angelo Russell and a group of unproven players to navigate their way through an incredibly tough Western Conference. While the Warriors are probably going to miss the playoffs this year, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a franchise that could return in 2020-21 as a title contender. The Warriors can use this season as a way to get their unproven talent valuable experience. 2019 second round pick Eric Paschall is already making waves for the Warriors and looks like he will be a key player in their return to success.
Paschall was born in North Tarrytown, New York in 1996. Growing up, he played AAU ball and became good friends with Donovan Mitchell. At the age of 12, he was already dunking a basketball. At Dobbs Ferry High School, he averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game as a sophomore. In his junior season, Paschall was named state Class B Player of the Year and Westchester county Mr. Basketball. That year, he averaged 26 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Paschall transferred to the St. Thomas More School as a senior and helped the team advance to the National Prep School Championship title game and earned NEPSAC AAA Player of the Year honors.
He committed to Fordham University and debuted with 21 points and 10 rebounds against New York Tech. This set a school record for most points 
by a freshman in his opening game. He was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice that year and averaged 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He would go on to be named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. After the season, Paschall decided to transfer to Villanova after Fordham coach Tom Pecora was fired.
Paschall redshirted during Villanova’s National Championship run in 2016. Even though he didn’t see the floor, coach Jay Wright considered Paschall’s efforts on the scout team a key reason why the team performed so well in the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore Paschall averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In his junior season he averaged 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. In the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Paschall was huge for the Wildcats. He scored 14 points in a win over West Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen, and posted 12 points and 14 boards in an Elight Eight win over Texas Tech. He has one of his best overall games of the tournament in Villanova’s Final Four matchup against Kansas. In the game, he scored 24 points on 10-of-11 shots to earn the Wildcats a victory. Villaonva would go on to defeat Michigan in the championship game. Paschall would stay on with Villanova for his senior season and averaged 16.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. After the season, he was named to the First-Team All-Big East.
Heading into the draft, the power forward measured at 6’6” with a 254-pound frame at the Draft Combine. His 6’11.75” wingspan is what stood out. While his height may be a touch small for the power forward position, he makes up for it with his length and athleticism. Playing for a powerhouse program like Villanova allowed Paschall to play a number of roles in his journey to the NBA. Golden State took notice and selected Paschall in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft with the 41st overall pick.
Injuries to Golden State’s starting rotation has given Eric Paschall some great opportunities early in the season. He’s played in 10 games, starting in five of them. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. On November 4th Paschall scored 34 points on 11-of-19 shots and grabbed 13 boards in a win over the Trail Blazers. There is absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t get significant run for the Warriors over the rest of the season. Golden State is in need of depth and once their rotation is back at full strength Paschall can be a force off the bench and in lineups where the team goes small.
Warriors fans should be (but probably aren’t) excited for this season. Despite the outlook for 2019-20, the future is bright. Golden State can run it back next season with three All-Stars in their starting lineup and hopefully some more depth on their bench. Paschall’s scoring and his ability to fit in the Warriors style of basketball will make him a valuable rotation piece for years to come.
Collectors can find Eric Paschall in his Villanova Wildcats uniform in 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks and Prizm Draft Picks. He’s also featured in the recently released 2019-20 Hoops, and will appear in 2019-20 Certified Basketball, out this week.
Future Watch: Eric Paschall Rookie Basketball Cards, Warriors – Stats as of 11/12/2019
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 23 | GSW | NBA | PF | 10 | 5 | 30.4 | 5.7 | 10.8 | .528 | 0.6 | 2.1 | .286 | 5.1 | 8.7 | .586 | .556 | 3.6 | 4.0 | .900 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 15.6 |
| Career | NBA | 10 | 5 | 30.4 | 5.7 | 10.8 | .528 | 0.6 | 2.1 | .286 | 5.1 | 8.7 | .586 | .556 | 3.6 | 4.0 | .900 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 15.6 |
Future Watch: Eric Paschall Rookie Basketball Cards, Warriors – More Resources
Future Watch: Eric Paschall Rookie Basketball Cards, Warriors – Image Gallery
Check out previous NBA Future Watch Articles featuring 2019 Draft Picks below:
- RJ Barrett, Knicks
- Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies
- Jarrett Culver, Timberwolves
- Terence Davis, Raptors
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers
- Rui Hachimura, Wizards
- Jaxson Hayes, Pelicans
- Tyler Herro, Heat
- De’Andre Hunter, Hawks
- Cameron Johnson, Suns
- Ja Morant, Grizzlies
- Chuma Okeke, Magic
- Cam Reddish, Hawks
- PJ Washington, Hornets
- Coby White, Bulls
- Zion Williamson, Pelicans
- Future Watch: Cam Reddish Rookie Basketball Cards, Hawks - March 12, 2020
- Future Watch: Chuma Okeke Rookie Basketball Cards, Magic - March 5, 2020
- Future Watch: Terence Davis Rookie Basketball Cards, Raptors - February 27, 2020