Eric Paschall: From Warriors' Leading Scorer to Afterthought
In the 2019 NBA Finals, Golden State Warriors superstar Klay Thompson tore his ACL. That injury precluded him from playing for the Warriors during the 2019-2020 NBA season. In the fourth game of that season, the other Warriors high-scorer (Stephen Curry) broke his left hand and he played in only one game for the rest of the season. With the injuries to Thompson and Curry, an unlikely man emerged as the Warriors' scoring leader: rookie and second-round draft pick Eric Paschall led the Warriors in scoring with 837 points.
In the process, Paschall became
- the first rookie to lead the Warriors in total points since Rick Barry (1965-1966),
- the first bench player to lead the Warriors in total points (he came off the bench for 34 of his 60 games), and
- the first-ever, second-round draft choice and rookie to lead an NBA team in total points.
The following year, the Warriors had fewer injuries and drafted James Wiseman with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft. As a result, Paschall received less playing time in his second season and scored 381 points. That was the eighth highest total on the team. Paschall's fall from his freshman NBA season to his sophomore NBA season was almost as stunning as his initial rise from a second-round draft choice. Following his second season, Paschall was traded to the Utah Jazz.
Less than a year after the trade, Paschall was out of the NBA for good.