9. Evaluating Utah Jazz forward Eric Paschall against the Thunder
Stats for Eric Paschall:
- 14 minutes
- Three points
- 1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-3 from three
- Three rebounds
- One assist
- Zero steals
- Zero blocks
- Zero turnovers
- One foul
Simply put, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound Eric Paschall should give the Utah Jazz what they sorely lacked at times last season: a bruiser of a power forward who can both score and defend.
However, in the season opener, the 24-year-old’s first regular-season game with the Jazz after spending two years as a role player for the Golden State Warriors, Paschall was invisible on the floor at times.
Although he knocked down one 3-pointer — with a unique shooting style that includes a lot of air under his feet and a bit of a leg kick at the end — he seemed to struggle in consistently carving out a job in the offense. But at this early juncture in his Jazz career, Paschall’s occasional disappearing acts may just be due to his lack of chemistry with his teammates.
Player grade: 75 (C)