Eric Paschall, F, Villanova
2018-2019 statistics: 16.5 PTS, 6.1 REB, 2.1 AST
Eric Paschall is a winner, and sometimes that’s enough for a player to take precedence over other highly-touted prospects.
Spending three of his four collegiate seasons with the Villanova Wildcats, one of the better programs in today’s landscape, Paschall won an NCAA Title in 2018 and capitalized on his season by following it up with the best of his career. In 2019, he recorded over 16 points and six rebounds per game while shooting nearly 35 percent on 5.6 three-point attempts per game.
A 6-9, 255 pound forward, Paschall certainly has NBA size, and he’s got the ability to solidify a spot in virtually any team’s rotation. He can play and defend either forward position and would likely work better in smaller rotations, but Paschall is driven by a motor that should help him achieve any goals he sets for himself. Like Montrezl Harrell, he isn’t one to give up on a play.
By the looks of it, Paschall is pretty fleet-of-foot for his size, and I don’t doubt that he’d be able to score on a majority of NBA benches. He’s also an impressive playmaker with a little of that Draymond Green-esque potential, though he likely won’t ever be that good.
At 22 years old, Paschall is one of the older prospects on this list, but with the LA Clippers presumably entering win-now mode this summer, that shouldn’t be a concern.
Paschall is currently projected to go in the mid-40s to low-50s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his stock goes up after the Draft Combine. Because of that, the Clippers may be getting a steal if he slides all the way back to them.