Utah Jazz: Ranking the 10 projected rotation pieces

9. Utah Jazz forward Eric Paschall

Giving up only a future second-round draft pick, the Utah Jazz snagged the 24-year-old Eric Paschall from the Golden State Warriors last week.

Now, there’s no doubt the 6-foot-6, 255-pound junkyard dog is a promising dirty-work specialist who should expand his game this season while learning a thing or two from do-anything veteran forward Royce O’Neale. Most importantly, Paschall offers the Jazz what they have been sorely lacking in and around the low block as of late: bruiser-like muscle.

He’s a former 2018 national champion with Villanova and the 41st overall selection from the 2019 NBA Draft. Then Paschall wound up on the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

Yet his numbers significantly dipped across the board as a Warriors sophomore with question marks popping up about his defense. On the other hand, Paschall did excel on occasion at the five-spot in smaller lineups.

Finally, as a native New Yorker and longtime friend of Jazz sensation Donovan Mitchell, Paschall might be in line for some preferential treatment in the playing time department.

Projected playing time for Eric Paschall: 12 minutes per game