This is a big question facing the Warriors about the future. Eric Paschall has proven to be a second-round steal. He is composed on court and he has the temperament to get buckets in crunch time. He has a powerful, sturdy scoring game where he muscles the ball in through contact, and can hit resourceful midrange shots. He has odd movement in his jump shot and it is unreliable from 3 (28.7% 3P%).
And that’s on offense. There’s another question about Paschall’s defense, which is going to need to improve for him to make his best impact.
"I don't think that's really a big issue because if Draymond is on the floor, he just guards anybody he wants because he's that good," Golden State's coach said recently on "The TK Show" podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. "If we decide to play him at the five and Eric at the four, we're gonna have a lot of shooting on the floor next to those guys -- and play-making -- and I think that's a combination that can work.
"I think there's no doubt Eric is better as a four than he is as a three. He's much more comfortable at that spot. But there are ways to fit that in to what we're gonna do next year. And then there are also things that we can do to try to help him get better so he can play the three."
Over the Warriors’ last six games, he has averaged 21 points, 58.2 percent shooting and, staggeringly, 5.2 assists. The Warriors went 3-3 in those games. In four of them, they outscored the opponent while Paschall was on the floor. This productive, efficient and unselfish version of the forward seems to have come out of nowhere. Even when he was making waves as a surprisingly good newcomer early this season, it didn’t look like this.
It is not a coincidence Paschall has taken off while Draymond Green has been out. Green has played a total of 9:44 over the last six games. He’s been on the court with Paschall for just 2:55 of that. Green’s absence has created a window for Paschall to flourish. Why?
No Green means Paschall has gotten more minutes at power forward as the second big man in the offense. That’s Paschall’s best position in today’s NBA.
But also, the absence of Russell and no Green has also meant more time for Paschall to have the ball in his hands. And with fewer bigs on the court and more shooters for defenses to cover, he has more space to go with the opportunity.
I think the question of whether Paschall and Draymond can play together is not what is going to get them into the Finals. Upgrading the team is the primary issue, or REBUILDING IT. The present player makeup of the Warriors is not something to get excited about. The bench is weak, weak, weak. The loss of KD is catastrophic and Wiggins is not a real replacement for him. KD did everything. Wiggins is soft. This will be a real test for the starters. Draymond has lost a lot of his stuff.
Without some serious support players who can create and score, the team falls on its face. There is no real backup PG. No C. No size, no reliable shooters aside from Steph/Klay. Even Wiggins is not a high % shooter and his 3 ball and foul shooting need work. No, I don't see the question of Paschall and Draymond factoring in next season.
What I have talked about before is trading Draymond in order to bring in support guys who are proven or package him with a pick(s) for another top draw player. Draymond is a support player. His addition to the mix brings some needed talent, but his liabilities, IMO, outweigh the positives. We need more offensive production. This is vital. If the Warriors are smart, which I think they are, they move on from Draymond and rebuild this team in a different direction. Arguing whether Draymond is this or that kind of player is not going to propel this team in the future. Curry and Klay are the heart of this team. Klay can get better! We need a damned monster in that paint. I love Chriss' energy and determination. If his skill set is further developed, he will be a solid piece of this puzzle. We need another big guy who has a game, not a Bender type player. Big guy with skills, Wiseman, Obi, or FA or trade. Do it, Myers!
I agree with Steve Kerr's assessment. No doubt we are looking at a potentially awesome "small ball" lineup when Dray is at the 5 and Paschall is at the 4. Thrown in Seph, Klay, and Wiggins, and you have some awesome floor spread with Paschall/Wiggins doing some serious damage at mid-range, a capability we can certainly use. I remember that is how Dray got his first break, playing a lot of small ball 4 with David Lee at the 5 during MJax's last year, and, of course, particularly, the Clips Playoff series. One game, and one Lee injury later, and, Dray was ready to step in the very next season. I also see a major backup role for Paschall, coming off the bench when we play a traditional 5. Either way, it will work well. Defensively, I think the small ball lineup will "hang", relying on transition to make up for a small weakness. Nonetheless, I Steve opening with a traditional 5, and Paschall on the bench.
I don't think Paschall plays defense or rebounds well enough to truly be the starting PF, especially in a smallball unit with Draymond at the 5 and lite-rebounding wings in Klay and Wiggins.
As it is, I think a 6th man bench scorer role fits him great.
I'd love to reassess if he shows up next year shooting 38+% from 3pt....
Since everyone is giving their Draymond takes, I'll give mine. Offensively, Draymond has no reliable jumpshot and it is a tremendous net negative to our offense. While KD/Klay/Curry's shooting helps somewhat mitigate this weakness, it nevertheless is a major flaw in Green's game. Scoring off the dribble at the rim by exploiting seams caused by Curry/Klay's gravity is something that Draymond was able to do in the past, but he seems to have lost a step as he's gotten older. As a passer, Draymond excels in large part because of his tremendous basketball IQ allow him to consistently make the right decision in 4 on 3 situations, passing out of the post to shooters moving off ball, and leading the Warriors in transition.
In defense, Draymond has the benefit of playing the PF/C position (arguably the two most important defensive positions in the NBA). His ability to defend 1-5 is incredibly valuable in the modern NBA. Suffice to say, he is an incredibly dominant player on this side of the basketball. According to 538, he has been the best defender in the NBA since the 2013-14 season.
To summarize, Draymond is an extreme negative as a shooter and as a scorer off the dribble. He is an extremely effective passer as well, but as with all passers, you are only as good as your recipients. As a defender, he is an incredible talent whose versatility/basketball IQ is his calling card.
So busy defending Dray (who doesn't need my help) I forgot to shary my opinion on the original question:
Dray and EP are nothing alike except superficially. They have completely different BB skills and it will be Kerr and the rest of the coaching staff's job to figure out how to integrate them. I think it will depend a lot on game situation, matchups, who the W's acquire in the off season, but one silution I see is that they actually don't play much together. Dray needs to play with Steph and Klay and Ender as much as possible and I think Chriss fits that lineup perfectly. EP is evolving but he is a very good scorer and could really fill that microvave scoring role that the 2nd team needs, especially if paired with, a pretty good passer (Poole maybe groing into a good 2nd team passer?) and another option or 2 (Lee, Mulder, Draft pick).
In addition, he's a rookie and was showing signs of improving his teamwork and passing. If that continues, new options may open up. Like many, I am more worried about his D. I really hope it improves because I basically ike his potential and could se him being way more than a 2nd round steal. But it is really hard to predict how a player will develop.
Paschall's growth has been awesome and his last month was great to watch but if there is going to be a serious conversation about him getting into the starting lineup, the number one thing he needs to work on for next year is his defense. I have no doubt he can improve it as he grows as a player but he did not play starter-level defense for most of the year.
All about Defense next year. Paschall looks good for the second unit and good to slide into the starting 4 slot due to injury. Chriss looks like the starting center and that’s exciting since his catch radius is excellent and his rim protection got better every week.
The Warriors need one more ball handling playmaker elite wing defender if they want to be true championship contenders next year. That’s not Paschall, though he will contribute to wins no doubt.
Green's defense is crucial. Paschall is a fine second unit stud as far as I can tell, unless he really pushes his game next year I don't see him soaking up Green's minutes at the 4 spot. I see Paschall leading the bench squad next season, and doing some small-ball stuff with Green at the 5. My real question is can Paschall take the torch from Green in a couple years as he really starts to decline?
We are going to see a lot of smaller lineups with Draymond at the five. I hope they draft Toppin so there becomes an endless stream of scoring players with power.
I really do think Draymond will get traded in a year. He is still a very high IQ player with fantastic defensive presence, but the rest of his game has deteriorated while the volatility of his personality is getting more disruptive. It was a fine balance that seems to have tipped over.
Eric is a good understudy for the position and a likely replacement.
The truth is kerr has already found out that the only thing draymond is useful for nowadays is to play 5 and playmake a bit. Steph is a better playmaker. Wiggins can playmake, paschall is also a good upcoming playmaker. The main problem the team runs into is that because draymomd is so limited on offense, his defender has extra energy to torch us. Thats why siakam became trigger happy in the finals. I dont think paschall and draymond will work. We are going to get killed on the boards..Paschall is a poor rebounder, so is wiggins and klay... steph is a good rebounder for a guard but not great..What we need is a stretch 5 who is good defensively.. Baynes is our man
I'd rather have Paschall come off the bench and give Green some time off so if Green does have to play at the 5 he isn't getting as beat up the rest of the time. I suspect Paschall could work on his jump shot, which does look strange, and become a better 3pt shooter which would let him sub in as a 3 as well. If so, that's the other opportunity for them to be on the court at the same time.
This could work as long as Draymond sets up shop at the foul line like Bogut did. Having the shooters orbit around him lessens the chances of a bricked Draymond 3 from the top of the arc as a last resort. With Draymond as play-maker, if no one is open, he can always shoot it from the foul line or make a pump fake drive like David Lee used to do.
Question: Can Draymond Green and Eric Paschall play together?
I think the question of whether Paschall and Draymond can play together is not what is going to get them into the Finals. Upgrading the team is the primary issue, or REBUILDING IT. The present player makeup of the Warriors is not something to get excited about. The bench is weak, weak, weak. The loss of KD is catastrophic and Wiggins is not a real replacement for him. KD did everything. Wiggins is soft. This will be a real test for the starters. Draymond has lost a lot of his stuff.
Without some serious support players who can create and score, the team falls on its face. There is no real backup PG. No C. No size, no reliable shooters aside from Steph/Klay. Even Wiggins is not a high % shooter and his 3 ball and foul shooting need work. No, I don't see the question of Paschall and Draymond factoring in next season.
What I have talked about before is trading Draymond in order to bring in support guys who are proven or package him with a pick(s) for another top draw player. Draymond is a support player. His addition to the mix brings some needed talent, but his liabilities, IMO, outweigh the positives. We need more offensive production. This is vital. If the Warriors are smart, which I think they are, they move on from Draymond and rebuild this team in a different direction. Arguing whether Draymond is this or that kind of player is not going to propel this team in the future. Curry and Klay are the heart of this team. Klay can get better! We need a damned monster in that paint. I love Chriss' energy and determination. If his skill set is further developed, he will be a solid piece of this puzzle. We need another big guy who has a game, not a Bender type player. Big guy with skills, Wiseman, Obi, or FA or trade. Do it, Myers!
I agree with Steve Kerr's assessment. No doubt we are looking at a potentially awesome "small ball" lineup when Dray is at the 5 and Paschall is at the 4. Thrown in Seph, Klay, and Wiggins, and you have some awesome floor spread with Paschall/Wiggins doing some serious damage at mid-range, a capability we can certainly use. I remember that is how Dray got his first break, playing a lot of small ball 4 with David Lee at the 5 during MJax's last year, and, of course, particularly, the Clips Playoff series. One game, and one Lee injury later, and, Dray was ready to step in the very next season. I also see a major backup role for Paschall, coming off the bench when we play a traditional 5. Either way, it will work well. Defensively, I think the small ball lineup will "hang", relying on transition to make up for a small weakness. Nonetheless, I Steve opening with a traditional 5, and Paschall on the bench.
I don't think Paschall plays defense or rebounds well enough to truly be the starting PF, especially in a smallball unit with Draymond at the 5 and lite-rebounding wings in Klay and Wiggins.
As it is, I think a 6th man bench scorer role fits him great.
I'd love to reassess if he shows up next year shooting 38+% from 3pt....
Since everyone is giving their Draymond takes, I'll give mine. Offensively, Draymond has no reliable jumpshot and it is a tremendous net negative to our offense. While KD/Klay/Curry's shooting helps somewhat mitigate this weakness, it nevertheless is a major flaw in Green's game. Scoring off the dribble at the rim by exploiting seams caused by Curry/Klay's gravity is something that Draymond was able to do in the past, but he seems to have lost a step as he's gotten older. As a passer, Draymond excels in large part because of his tremendous basketball IQ allow him to consistently make the right decision in 4 on 3 situations, passing out of the post to shooters moving off ball, and leading the Warriors in transition.
In defense, Draymond has the benefit of playing the PF/C position (arguably the two most important defensive positions in the NBA). His ability to defend 1-5 is incredibly valuable in the modern NBA. Suffice to say, he is an incredibly dominant player on this side of the basketball. According to 538, he has been the best defender in the NBA since the 2013-14 season.
To summarize, Draymond is an extreme negative as a shooter and as a scorer off the dribble. He is an extremely effective passer as well, but as with all passers, you are only as good as your recipients. As a defender, he is an incredible talent whose versatility/basketball IQ is his calling card.
So busy defending Dray (who doesn't need my help) I forgot to shary my opinion on the original question:
Dray and EP are nothing alike except superficially. They have completely different BB skills and it will be Kerr and the rest of the coaching staff's job to figure out how to integrate them. I think it will depend a lot on game situation, matchups, who the W's acquire in the off season, but one silution I see is that they actually don't play much together. Dray needs to play with Steph and Klay and Ender as much as possible and I think Chriss fits that lineup perfectly. EP is evolving but he is a very good scorer and could really fill that microvave scoring role that the 2nd team needs, especially if paired with, a pretty good passer (Poole maybe groing into a good 2nd team passer?) and another option or 2 (Lee, Mulder, Draft pick).
In addition, he's a rookie and was showing signs of improving his teamwork and passing. If that continues, new options may open up. Like many, I am more worried about his D. I really hope it improves because I basically ike his potential and could se him being way more than a 2nd round steal. But it is really hard to predict how a player will develop.
Paschall's growth has been awesome and his last month was great to watch but if there is going to be a serious conversation about him getting into the starting lineup, the number one thing he needs to work on for next year is his defense. I have no doubt he can improve it as he grows as a player but he did not play starter-level defense for most of the year.
All about Defense next year. Paschall looks good for the second unit and good to slide into the starting 4 slot due to injury. Chriss looks like the starting center and that’s exciting since his catch radius is excellent and his rim protection got better every week.
The Warriors need one more ball handling playmaker elite wing defender if they want to be true championship contenders next year. That’s not Paschall, though he will contribute to wins no doubt.
Green's defense is crucial. Paschall is a fine second unit stud as far as I can tell, unless he really pushes his game next year I don't see him soaking up Green's minutes at the 4 spot. I see Paschall leading the bench squad next season, and doing some small-ball stuff with Green at the 5. My real question is can Paschall take the torch from Green in a couple years as he really starts to decline?
We are going to see a lot of smaller lineups with Draymond at the five. I hope they draft Toppin so there becomes an endless stream of scoring players with power.
I really do think Draymond will get traded in a year. He is still a very high IQ player with fantastic defensive presence, but the rest of his game has deteriorated while the volatility of his personality is getting more disruptive. It was a fine balance that seems to have tipped over.
Eric is a good understudy for the position and a likely replacement.
The truth is kerr has already found out that the only thing draymond is useful for nowadays is to play 5 and playmake a bit. Steph is a better playmaker. Wiggins can playmake, paschall is also a good upcoming playmaker. The main problem the team runs into is that because draymomd is so limited on offense, his defender has extra energy to torch us. Thats why siakam became trigger happy in the finals. I dont think paschall and draymond will work. We are going to get killed on the boards..Paschall is a poor rebounder, so is wiggins and klay... steph is a good rebounder for a guard but not great..What we need is a stretch 5 who is good defensively.. Baynes is our man
I'd rather have Paschall come off the bench and give Green some time off so if Green does have to play at the 5 he isn't getting as beat up the rest of the time. I suspect Paschall could work on his jump shot, which does look strange, and become a better 3pt shooter which would let him sub in as a 3 as well. If so, that's the other opportunity for them to be on the court at the same time.
This could work as long as Draymond sets up shop at the foul line like Bogut did. Having the shooters orbit around him lessens the chances of a bricked Draymond 3 from the top of the arc as a last resort. With Draymond as play-maker, if no one is open, he can always shoot it from the foul line or make a pump fake drive like David Lee used to do.