Walter Clayton Jr. NBA Draft Profile: College Stats, Scouting Report, and Top Comps

The NBA Draft tips off Wednesday, June 25th. With the NBA Combine behind us, the draft process is in full swing for one of the best classes over the past few cycles. It's certainly a more well-rounded class than what we saw in 2024, especially in regards to the top talents.

Plenty of instant-impact rookies should come from the 2025 draft class. With NBA Draft odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook, FanDuel Research is providing NBA Draft profiles for several notable prospects, providing everything you need to know.

The top of the 2025 NBA Draft class is mostly formed by the usual suspects -- young, emerging talents with little experience under their belt. However, we do have a few promising first-round prospects with several seasons at the collegiate level.

After scoring over 17.0 points per game (PPG) in the 2023-24 season at Florida, Walter Clayton Jr. took another step in the 2024-25 season in route to earning consensus First-Team All-America and winning the regional semifinals' Most Outstanding Player in the Gators' national title run. After flashing his ability to put the ball in the hoop time and time again, Clayton is drawing NBA buzz following a four-year collegiate career.

Walter Clayton Jr. College Stats and NBA Draft Combine Results

Position: Guard

College: Florida

Age: 22.3

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 199

Wingspan: 6'4"

Standing Reach: 8'1.5"

Vertical Leap: 37

Standing Vertical Leap: 29.5

Shuttle Run: 2.81

Games Played: 139

2024-25 Points Per Game: 18.3

2024-25 Rebounds Per Game: 3.7

2024-25 Assists Per Game: 4.2

2024-25 Steals Per Game: 1.4

2024-25 Blocks Per Game: 0.6

2024-25 Field Goal Percentage: 44.8%

2024-25 Three-Point Percentage: 38.6%

Walter Clayton Jr. Top Comparables

• Payton Pritchard
• Jordan Clarkson

Walter Clayton Jr. Scouting Report

Strengths

• Excellent shooter in every way
• Impressive ball-handling
• Excels in transition
• Solid rebounding guard

Weaknesses

• Doesn't get to the rim enough in the half court
• Finding his role at the next level could be a challenge
• Defense is a mixed bag
• Will be over 22 years old on draft night

Scouts are often tasked with the challenge of tackling extremely productive college players who may lack in some wanted areas. Clayton is just that as he was a productive scorer with over 16.5 PPG while shooting better than 36.0% from three his final three collegiate seasons. However, his athleticism doesn't jump off the court, and he's one of the oldest prospects projected to land in the first round.

His scoring talent alone is probably worth a swing in the first round. Clayton is one of the best shooters of the draft as he shot 38.6% from three with a high volume of 303 attempts in the 2024-25 season. Many of these shots were difficult contested looks, too.

Florida's star guard finished in the 91st percentile as a shooter off screens and in the 92nd percentile as a spot-up shooter. He should be a catch-and-shoot threat at the next level while carrying the ability to drill looks with body movement.

An impressive handle makes Clayton an isolation threat, too. Some of this is limited from a lack of consistency of getting to the rim. Plus, his potential as a primary ball handler is capped right now by meh playmaking.

This is where the real problem comes in with Clayton. His role at the next level is very specific for now. Clayton's maximum potential will likely be a quality combo guard off the bench, unless he makes a leap in the playmaking category. Then, he would have the upside as a point guard.

He's undersized to be a shooting guard, which likely puts him in that bench role to begin his NBA career. His playmaking wasn't awful by any means with a solid 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Clayton just may need time to become a true point.

On the defensive end, he's also a mixed bag. At times, he lacked effort, and his size once again becomes an issue if he's tasked with playing the wing position.

As always, it's easy to overthink some of the draft's older prospects. Ultimately, Clayton was an extremely productive and efficient scorer in college. His shooting and ability to create his own shot is pro caliber. Most of his issue lays with finding the ideal role and developing his ability to play the point.

Clayton will likely be selected outside of the top 20 picks, but this means landing with a quality team. This should provide the opportunity to be a scoring spark off the bench while presenting the time to develop as a point guard. A few teams in the top 20 could provide this opportunity, too, including the San Antonio Spurs (14th), Oklahoma City Thunder (15th), and Miami Heat (20th).

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