Warriors Rumors: Eric Paschall Interested GSW 6 Months Before 2019 NBA Draft

Eric Paschall has been one of the few bright spots for the Golden State Warriors this season, vindicating some early internal hype for the Villanova product.

According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the Warriors decided they wanted the forward by last December, six months before the 2019 NBA draft. 

"At least one of the voices in the room had Paschall in the top 20 on his board," Thompson wrote. 

Golden State eventually selected him with the No. 41 overall pick.

Despite his status as a second-round pick, Paschall has been a breakout star in the first month of the season with averages of 16.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He totaled 34 points and 13 rebounds in Monday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

While it's early in his career, the 23-year-old looks to be the steal of the draft.

It's also a credit to the Warriors scouting department because Paschall was far from a star during his college years.

A transfer from Fordham, he was mostly a role player and fifth or sixth option for the team that won the 2018 national championship. He had better numbers during his senior season (16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds per game), but few saw the 6'6" power forward as a high-level NBA prospect.

Golden State saw something different and only waited because it knew he would still be available.

"He was undersized," head coach Steve Kerr explained, "but these days undersized guys at that 4 position, as long as you are really strong with that wingspan, we’ve seen it the last few years with Draymond [Green]. We felt like Eric had a chance to have a similar impact as a second-round pick."

With the Warriors looking to established a new era, Paschall could be a key part of the team's future.