Former Gator Walter Clayton Jr. Shines in Preseason Game

Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida to a national championship last season, and he's set to make an impact in his first NBA season.

Former Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. had a strong game in the Jazz's preseason game against San Antonio. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Former Florida Gators point guard Walter Clayton Jr. had a strong bounce-back performance for the Utah Jazz on the road against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. He posted 20 points to go along with his five rebounds and five assists. He also logged a steal and a block each. 

He showed off a mixture of everything he can do on the court against the Spurs, knocking in pull-up 3-pointers off screens, finding open teammates and successfully getting his hand in the cookie jar. 

Walter Clayton Jr. 20 Points, 5 Assists, 5 Rebs full highlight vs Spurs I 2025 NBA Preseason pic.twitter.com/mHKlE4ZxYG

— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) October 11, 2025

Clayton Jr. started the game really well, too, making his first three shots overall, two of which were 3-pointers. By the end of the first half, he had eight points and two assists. 

The second half is where he came alive, though. Over the next two quarters and an overtime period, he recorded 12 points, three assists and five rebounds. 

Most of that damage came in the fourth quarter. He had six points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in the period to help lead the comeback charge to tie the game. Two of his six points in the quarter even gave the Jazz the lead with 26 seconds left, but they were not able to hold onto it before heading into overtime. 

This basket from him was arguably his highlight of the night, as well. The Jazz were pushing the tempo off a rebound, with Clayton Jr. filling an unoccupied lane by the Spurs. After the ball found its way to him, he soared high in the air for a poster dunk over the Spurs defender to give his team a 119-117 lead. 

Unfortunately for Clayton Jr. and the Jazz, they came up just short against the Spurs, falling 134-130 in overtime. 

Although they lost, the more important takeaway from the game was Clayton Jr.’s improved outing compared to his first NBA preseason game of his career. 

The first year looked comfortable and made the right read several times against the Spurs. This led to him finishing second on the team in plus/minus, with a +9 in 34 minutes.  

In contrast to his performance against the Houston Rockets last Wednesday, he was the worst player on the court for his team based on plus/minus. He had a -13 plus/minus in 20 minutes of action against the Rockets, making just three of his 10 shots and turning the ball over three times. 

That was something Florida wasn't accustomed to seeing during his two years with Florida, even more so during the Gators national championship run earlier this year. 

Walter Clayton Jr. stands above the crowd after cutting down the nets following the Florida Gators' win in the national championship. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Clayton Jr. scored 20 or more points four times in six games during the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, he had back-to-back 30-point games during the Elite 8 and Final 4 games against the Texas Tech Raiders and Auburn Tigers, respectively. This was the first time that a player had back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite 8 and Final 4 since Larry Bird in 1979. 

His next time on the court will be on Monday at home versus the Dallas Mavericks.