Prior to the start of the Golden State Warriors contest against the Houston Rockets, James Wiseman and Eric Paschall were ruled out after entering the league’s health and safety protocols. Along with the pair of players, some of Golden State’s assistant coaches and developmental staff were absent from the bench.
While the Warriors secured a victory over Houston without Paschall and Wiseman, the pair of players are slated to miss more time. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Paschall and Wiseman will miss seven days in contact tracing.
The Warriors will be without both players for a back-to-back series against the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend and next Tuesday’s contest at Chase Center against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter:
James Wiseman and Eric Paschall will miss seven days in contact tracing. So that means they'll miss both games in Memphis and next Tuesday's home game against the Sixers. Eligible to return next Wednesday.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 18, 2021
Both players have played significant roles on Golden State’s second unit. After being selected with the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points on 52.6% shooting from the field with 6.0 boards and 1.0 blocks per contest. In his sophomore season, Paschall is averaging 9.5 points on 49.3% shooting from the field with 3.2 rebounds in 17.4 minutes off the bench.
Without Wiseman and Paschall against the Rockets, Steve Kerr leaned on Juan Toscano-Anderson in the frontcourt off the bench. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green will likely play larger roles in a small ball-heavy rotation for Kerr over the next seven days. Second-year forward Alen Smailagic could also be an option in the frontcourt for Golden State. However, the Serbian has only played three-minutes in one game this season.
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