Utah Jazz: 3 historical comparisons for Eric Paschall

Utah Jazz forward historical comparison #1: Antoine Walker

So far, we’ve covered a historical comparison for Paschall in the event that he steadily improves his defense, and a comparison if he intermittently progresses and regresses on the less glamorous end of the floor. Here’s a peek at what his career could look like if he never changes on the defensive end, but absolutely maximizes his offensive capabilities.

Unlike the other players covered in this article, Antoine Walker was a star. His best season came in 2000-01, when he posted averages of 23.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest. That statistical output actually came during Walker’s age-24 season, the same age as Paschall today. However, the vast discrepancy in their roles is partly accounted for by the fact that Walker was drafted to a woeful Celtics squad with the 6th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, whereas Paschall has spent his first two seasons in the league with a competitive Golden State Warriors club.

Walker’s Defensive Rating generally fluctuated between passable and poor, but it’s worth noting that the numbers may be skewed by virtue of the defensive mindedness of those Celtics teams. His reputation on that end was poor, and deservingly so. Meanwhile, Walker was often criticized for his shot selection, but in hindsight, he too was an ahead-of-his-time stretch big. He shot an absolutely-unheard-of 8.1 attempts per game for the Cs in 2001-02.

That’s a high three-point volume even for a modern 4, but Walker’s 34.4% accuracy on those attempts would make them somewhat justifiable according to modern offensive philosophies. On the other hand, Utah Jazz forward Eric Paschall may, in reality, never garner a large enough offensive role to attempt 8 three-pointers every night. Antoine Walker was gifted: former Warrior or not, Paschall will have some substantial work to do to reach his level.

Eric Paschall’s career is still in its infancy stages, and it’s difficult to conclude what kind of NBA player he’ll be on a consistent basis. However, if his career resembles any of the 3 players mentioned in this article, it will be to the delight of Utah Jazz fans.