Though many NBA players have raved about their experience playing alongside Steph Curry, there are clear sacrifices that must be made to succeed alongside the Warriors star.
Former Golden State forward Eric Paschall previously has discussed the challenges he faced playing alongside Curry, and his comments have gone viral again recently, perhaps due to the parallels with current restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
In January, Paschall discussed his experience on the “Entirely NBA” podcast.
“Y’all can look at me as mini-Draymond,” Paschall said, referring to the oft-made comparisons of him to Draymond Green. “I like to score. Mentally, at that point, I couldn’t do it. I’m going in there thinking like, ‘All right, I got my chance, so I’m just hooping.’ “
During his rookie season in 2019-20, when Curry was limited to only five games due to a hand injury, Paschall showed out as a primary scorer, averaging 14 points per game and placing sixth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. However, when Curry returned the following season, Paschall struggled to deal with his reduced role.
“Steph and them came back, and Dray was hurt early in the season,” Paschall explained. “But I couldn’t play with Steph early in the season. I’m still going to do me — y’all saw what I did last year. That’s what I’m thinking. But I can’t do that because I’m on the floor with Steph all the time. I ended up asking to come off the bench. I was not wired to set a screen, pass up an open shot — like if I’m open, I’m shooting it. It gave me a false reality of how the NBA works.”
As a result, the Warriors traded Paschall before the 2021-22 NBA season, and he was out of the league the next year.
Some fans and analysts have noted the similarities between the challenges Paschall faced and the ongoing dilemma facing Kuminga and Golden State. Like Paschall, Kuminga is more of a ball-dominant forward who has seen more success in Curry’s absence — namely in the Warriors’ 2025 second-round playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Curry missed most of the series with a hamstring strain.
Now, as the organization and Kuminga face a major decision during NBA free agency, both sides might use Paschall as a key piece of evidence for how they proceed.
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