Eric Paschall is heading to Italy for the 2024-25 season as he has agreed on a deal with Pistoia Basket. The 27-year-old is heading to play in the continent of Europe for the first time in his career. An NBA second-round draft pick in 2019, the Villanova standout previously spent three seasons in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz before playing last season in Puerto Rico.
Italian Team Signs 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team Member
Paschall Was Productive As A Rookie In 2019-20
Selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Paschall joined a Warriors team that reached the NBA Finals in the previous season (lost to the Toronto Raptors). The team didn’t enjoy nearly that amount of success in 2019-20. Klay Thompson missed the entire season after he tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals. Stephen Curry played just five games due to a broken left hand. Golden State finished with the worst record in the NBA at 15-50.
While it was a nightmarish season for the Warriors, it provided an opportunity for Paschall in his rookie year. The six-foot-six forward played in 60 games, starting in 26 of them. Playing 27.6 minutes per game, Paschall averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. While he wasn’t very accurate from beyond the arc, he shot solid marks from the field (49.7%) and the free throw line (77.4%). On November 4, 2019, Paschall had a career outing as he finished with his career-highs of 34 points and 13 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the All-Rookie First Team.
Paschall Played Less In The Next Two Seasons
The Warriors finished a much more respectable 39-33 in 2020-21. With a full season rostering Andrew Wiggins, adding Kelly Oubre Jr., and drafting James Wiseman, there was less playing time available for Paschall. His minutes decreased by more than 10 per outing from his rookie season (17.4).
After those two seasons, the Warriors traded Paschall to the Jazz. Paschall saw his minutes decrease even further in 2021-22 with Utah. In 58 games, he averaged 12.7 minutes of game action. In July of 2022, Paschall signed a two-way deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves but was released before the start of the season.
It was a rapid fall from grace for Paschall. He went from First Team All-Rookie to out of the league after three seasons. He signed to play in Puerto Rico in March of 2023, but he was released around a month later.
National Champion At Villanova
It can be joked that it’s surprising that the New York Knicks haven’t signed Paschall due to their affinity for Villanova players. After transferring from Fordham, Paschall played three seasons for the Wildcats from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He started all 38 of his appearances for Villanova’s national championship team in 2017-18. The following season, he was named to the All-Big East First Team.
Now, Eric Paschall begins a new journey in Italy. Pistoia Basket has previously rostered former NBA players such as Joseph Forte, Brad Wanamaker, Bobby Jones, JaJuan Johnson, Linton Johnson, and Yakhouba Diawara. They finished with a 15-18 record in Lega Basket Serie A in 2023-24.
