How Walter Clayton Jr. Fits into the Jazz's Backcourt

Former Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. enters a guard-heavy team in the Utah Jazz, but there is a clear path for him to see quality minutes early in his career.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Walter Clayton Jr. arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Already having four main guards on the roster, many were wondering why the Utah Jazz felt the need to select former Florida Gator Walter Clayton Jr. with the 18th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday in a trade with the Washington Wizards. 

However, even with the numbers currently in the room, there is certainly a path for Clayton Jr. to earn a fair share of minutes for himself in the 2025-26 season in Utah. 

For starters, the four guards on the Jazz’s roster that Clayton Jr. will be fighting against are Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier, but two of them could be out the door this summer. 

Clarkson and Sexton are both being shopped around to other teams, per multiple reports. If they can move off of one or both of them, then that would instantly clear up space for Clayton Jr. to enter the rotation. Both are on expiring contracts, which could give teams the cap flexibility for next summer should they not resign either player. 

Utah continues to talk trade on John Collins, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson across the league. #NBA

— NBATradeReport (@NBATradeReport) June 25, 2025

As for Collier and George, they are highly talented players but still have ways to go as shooters. George shot 39.1 percent from the field on 13.7 attempts a game and 34.3 percent from deep on 7.6 attempts a game. Collier was slightly better than George overall, shooting 42.2 percent on 7.8 attempts, but struggled from deep. He connected on just 24.9 percent of his 2.4 three-point attempts. 

This is where injecting Clayton Jr. into the rotation makes a ton of sense. He is a guy who has taken the lion’s share of shots and has shown to be one of the more reliable scorers in this draft. He finished his senior season commanding 44.8/39.2/87.4 shooting splits across 40 games. Additionally, he made 122 3-pointers in 2024-25, which was tied for sixth in the NCAA. 

The tough shot-making from Clayton Jr. is also another reason why the Jazz traded their way up to pick 18 in the first round. He was knocking down deep threes, step-back threes, spin jumpers and other difficult shots throughout last season. 

One recent example is in Florida’s Final Four game against Auburn, when he finished with 34 points and five 3-pointers. In this contest, he hit step-backs, running floaters and finished through traffic in the paint. 

Two months ago tonight— Walter Clayton Jr. went for 34 in the Final Four .

And hit THAT shot to send the best Auburn team to ever play home. pic.twitter.com/aFLITkGtAf

— Florida Basketball Hour (@FloridaBBHour) June 6, 2025

Another strong quality of Clayton Jr. is that he doesn’t need to be the main ball handler to be effective. He can play on the ball or as a spot-up shooter.

In his first season in Gainesville, he played as the second ball handler behind Zyon Pullin and averaged 17.6 points a game. Then, last year, he had the ball in his hands nearly every possession and scored 18.4 points a game. Having this versatility on offense will make it easier for him to find a way onto the court. 

In reality, it shouldn’t be hard for the Jazz to find minutes off the bench for a guy who could become a dangerous offensive weapon that can get a bucket in a variety of ways.