NBA Rookie Ladder: Ja Morant continues to impress for Memphis Grizzlies

3. Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors

16.7 PPG, 4.8 REB, 1.3 AST

How can one not be blown away by the impact Eric Paschall has had for the Golden State Warriors with the stars of the team in and out of the rotation?

He’s taken on the responsibility of being the focal point in Golden State’s offense, and has done so remarkable and efficiently.

His two 30-point outings this season were done on 11-of-19 and 10-of-17 shooting from the field. The fact that a second-round rookie is taking that many shots and keeping what seems like a G League squad competitive in NBA games against respectable teams is astounding.

And why should we believe it’s going to slow down at any point?

Paschall doesn’t take bad shots. When he picks a spot, chances are both he and the Warriors believe that shot is going in. An emerging three-level scorer, it’s clear that Paschall has been the biggest surprise of the young season, even more so than Nunn.

What Golden State thought it was getting on draft night was someone who could step in and do a lot of the things that Draymond Green does in small stretches: toughness around the basket, rebounding and deep shot making on a few open attempts a game.

But Paschall has been so much more and is now being seen as a starter-level talent with enough room to continue growing his game as a functioning playmaker.

It’s way too early to call any award race, but Paschall is making a serious dark horse push for the league’s best rookie so far.