As a 6-foot-6 power forward, one of the key ways Eric Paschall can fully fit into a small ball lineup is to develop playmaking traits.
Paschall told The Athletic that playmaking is something he wished he had done more consistently as a rookie.
“If I’d done that better early in the season, I would’ve been more successful,” Paschall said to the outlet. “But after the All-Star break, my playmaking was a lot better, coming off ball screens and making the right decision, reading the floor.”
Raw assist numbers show this is accurate. Prior to the All-Star break, Paschall averaged 1.7 assists per game. In the 10 games after, he averaged 4.2.
His assist percentage almost doubled to 20.1% and his assist to turnover ratio did double, up to 2.33.
“Coach (Steve) Kerr told me I needed to be more of a playmaker,” Paschall said. “But I also feel like the game just slowed down. I didn’t have to rush anything anymore. I didn’t have to force anything.”
While Paschall was better at reading the floor, that didn’t always mean passing. He often preferred to keep the ball and either bulldoze in or shoot from midrange.
His shooting percentages showed a heightened ability to get open and make shots. After shooting 48.2% from the field before the break, he shot 56.5% afterward, and averaged one more shot per game.
Away from the rim, he was best from 15 to 19 feet away from the hoop, making 46.7% from that distance.
“Draymond (Green) was telling me to play at my own pace. Don’t rush anything. Change speeds,” Paschall said. “You don’t have to rush anything because you can eventually get whatever you want. You don’t have to force.”
If the power forward can find tricks to improve his court vision and thread the ball into open space, Kerr can have some fun drawing up variations of plays where Green is the lead playmaker and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson fly around the arc, but with Paschall as the lead or secondary ball handler.
“The spacing’s going to be ridiculous. I can’t wait for that,” Paschall said.
Paschall can also help the team if they don’t find an adequate backup playmaker and decide to do more point-guard-by-committee lineups.
To fully integrate with the starting group, Paschall also needs to improve his 3-point shooting. Golden State was working on changing his form early in the season, but he reverted back to the previous style; this offseason, if he can extend his range five feet, it would open the door to spacing that would allow him to play how he really thrives: barreling in, attacking defenders and scoring at the rim.
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