Eric Paschall was a silver lining for the Warriors in a brutal season, earning First-Team All-Rookie honors after being a second-round draft pick in 2019. With Klay Thompson missing the entire season and Steph Curry getting just a few games in due to injuries, Draymond Green became the de facto on-court leader for the Warriors, helping Golden State's numerous young players acclimate to the NBA.
In speaking with Bay Area reporters this past week, Paschall explained why he's so appreciative of the relationship he was able to establish with Green in his first NBA season.
"He's very easy to talk to, I feel like he's definitely one of my vets, probably the vet," Paschall said. "That's my guy though, I feel like whatever he wants me to do I'll do it, and we're easy to talk to each other, and he knows he can get on me and I won't take it personal. I know how competitive he is."
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Paschall and Draymond play similar positions on the court, but their games do not exactly mirror each other. Paschall is a bit bigger and played more of a traditional power forward as a rookie, while Green often served as a facilitator and has played more wing in recent years as he's gotten into better physical shape.
As he prepares for his second NBA season, Paschall believes he and Green can co-exist on the court at the same time, but is leaving those decisions up to the Warriors' coaching staff.
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"I don't know, that's for coach Kerr to find out and figure out for us," Paschall said. "I mean obviously I feel like we can play together, but whatever best suits the team, I'm willing to play whatever role I need to."
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Green likely will be the starting power forward this season, as most lineup projections see him lining up with either Marquese Chriss or James Wiseman in the frontcourt, along with Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins.
Paschall might not get quite as much playing time this year as he did with so many injuries in 2019-20, but he'll still be one of the team's most valuable reserves. Especially if he can step up his 28.7 3-point percentage from his rookie year, Paschall could earn more playing time at the wing alongside Green.
Either way, Draymond's influence clearly helped ease Paschall's transition to the NBA, and the two being so close only stands to help the Warriors going into an unprecedented 2020-21 season.