UF star Walter Clayton’s eagerly awaited NBA fate finally arrives

Jun 24, 2025 - 21:30

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UF star Walter Clayton’s eagerly awaited NBA fate finally arrives

GAINESVILLE — For Walter Clayton Jr., it is no longer a matter of if, but when.

Opinions vary on where Florida’s 2025 All-American guard will land Wednesday night, but Clayton’s climb into the first round of the NBA draft was solidified by the time the Gators claimed the national championship on April 7.

“I don’t think anybody in a long time has performed as well as Walter Clayton Jr did in the NCAA Tournament,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during a recent conference call. “It was just sort of big shot after big shot. I don’t have any doubt he’s going to be taken in the first round — and could go in the teens.”

Even then UF coach Todd Golden thinks Clayton would be a steal, even if it might not be immediately apparent.

“I don’t know where he’ll end up going,” Golden said last week. “Personally, I think he should be close to 10, 12, if I was an NBA GM, but I’m not. We’ll see. But whoever picks him is going to get an incredible value.

“And then in two years, people are gonna be, ‘How did Walter Clayton drop to that. Why did he go there?’ I’m just telling you right now that’s what’s gonna happen.”

Standing a shade under 6-foot-3 and having moved to point guard, Clayton entered last season considered a second-round selection.

But the 22-year-old displayed elite shot-making ability and athleticism to balance out concerns about his lack of size and inexperience. Clayton’s competitiveness and toughness developed as a high school football star, along with his clutch play on college basketball’s biggest stage continued to elevate his NBA stock.

The Lake Wales native scored 13 of his 30 points and his team’s final 23 to help erase a 10-point deficit as Florida edged Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. Clayton then scored 34 points against Auburn in the Final Four to become the first player since Larry Bird at Indiana State in 1979 to score at least 30 during the Elite Eight and first game of the Final Four.

Clayton cedes close to 7 inches to Bird, yet has some key similarities to the NBA legend.

“He can shoot it with with great range. He shoots it off the off the catch or the dribble,” Bilas said of Clayton. “He can create his own he can dribble into a shot in transition. He’s just a scorer.”

This past season, Clayton averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 assists and made 122 3-pointers to set a single-season UF record with 713 points.

In an NBA where 3s have become increasingly emphasized and rule tweaks favor offense, Clayton’s skill set is coveted despite his stature — he measured 6-foot-2 barefoot, 199 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. Inconsistent defense was another knock, yet his final play with the Gators was a game-saving stop during the final seconds against Houston in the national title game.

“He made some real strides on the defensive end,” Bilas said. “He just lacked size. That’s really the only thing you could say that wouldn’t be a positive.”

Golden said he’s received “great reports from different NBA teams that have worked out Walt.”

Clayton will soon find out how decision-makers ultimately weigh his value.

Mock drafts have him on the rise.

On the eve of the first round, ESPN.com projects Clayton to go No. 20 to the Miami Heat, nine spots higher than last week. The Ringer also sends Clayton to the Heat.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic could keep Clayton even closer to home with the No. 25 pick, according to Sports Illustrated, The Athletic and NBA.com.

Having seen Clayton’s development up close for two years after he transferred from Iona, Golden is confident whoever drafts him will get a bargain — and perhaps eventually a championship like the Gators did.

“He just wins all the games, and that matters to some teams,” Golden said. “A team will pick him, and he’ll end up killing it.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com