PHOENIX -- For much of his maiden season in the NBA, Warriors forward Eric Paschall has experienced the burden of sustaining success in a new environment.
After an early-season scoring binge helped garner Rookie of the Year chatter, opponents began prying on Paschall's weaknesses, forcing his numbers to dwindle. Now, with the Warriors battered, he's found success in his role.
Paschall's latest evolution came in the Warriors' 115-99 win over the Suns on Saturday, as he finished with 25 points, four assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes, helping his squad win in its first game in nearly a month, and he improved along the way.
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Remnants of Paschall's development appeared in the first half. Two minutes into the game, he caught a pass just outside the 3-point line, drove the lane and finished atop of seven-footer Aron Baynes. A quarter later, he surveyed the floor on the wing and found Damion Lee for an easy layup. By the end of the first half, he accumulated, 15 points, and two assists helping the Warriors cut an 18 point Phoenix lead to four by halftime.
Paschall's recent improved output has given life to one of the league's worst offensive units.
"I think it's different now compared to a few months ago is his willingness to get off the ball and kick it out to the perimeter and be more of a playmaker," head coach Steve Kerr said. "That's been a big part of his development. He was a big scorer in the first month of the season but was forcing a lot of the action."
Paschall has had similar success before. Through the first nine games of his career, he averaged 16 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists, including a career-high 34-point performance against the Blazers.
Golden State Warriors
But the success came with a caveat. Most of his scoring opportunities came at the expense of the offensive flow, making it easier for defenses to collapse on his go-to moves.
"I feel like I forced a little earlier in the season," Paschall said. "I feel like now I'm being more patient."
Evidence of Paschall's growth was needed in the wake of Golden State's recent injury woes. Hours before the game, the team announced Draymond Green and Jordan Poole would not play, leaving the team with just eight healthy bodies, forcing Paschall to be a primary ballhandler. In the role, he flourished, showing calmness as the team repeatedly ran the offense through him, earning trust from the coaching staff in the process.
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"Over the last couple of weeks he's really done a good job in the drive-and-kick game, finding guys who are open," Kerr said. "All you really want to do against a defense is get somebody to rotate, get the defense to have to react and Eric is good enough to do that."
"He's become a more efficient player," Kerr added. "And he's seeing the guys who are open a lot better."