Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. It’s expected that Clayton Jr. will be traded to the Utah Jazz in a deal that will be finalized later. Clayton Jr. becomes the first Gator drafted since 2021 (Tre Mann, No.18) and the third since 2013.
The 6’3, 195-pound guard averaged a career high 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds throughout Florida’s 2025 National Championship season. Clayton Jr. was the first player in Florida program history to earn First-Team All-American honors while also adding Final Four Most Outstanding Player, West Regional Most Outstanding Player, and SEC Tournament MVP to his resume.
“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,” head coach Todd Golden said on Clayton’s draft status.
Golden compared Clayton Jr. to NBA talents Fred VanVleet and Damian Lillard ahead of the NBA Draft.
“You look at guys like Fred VanVleet, Damian Lillard, like he’s in that bucket, Golden said on Clayton Jr. “I’m not saying he’s gonna get there right away. But, the guy just had the most incredible senior season tournament run, whatever you want to say. He’s got real size, [is an] incredible athlete, elite shooter. I mean, what doesn’t he do? And he just wins all the games, and that matters to some teams, and a team will pick him, and he’ll end up killing it.”
Clayton Jr. established himself as one of the best shot creators in all of college basketball last season, shooting 44.8% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. The Lake Wales, Florida native was as clutch as they come, as highlighted by his heroic late game efforts in Florida’s NCAA Tournament run.
“Best guard in the nation,” Golden said on Clayton. “There’s not one player in all of America that you would rather have the ball in his hands with the game on the line.”
Clayton Jr.’s 1,346 points as a Gator is the most over a two-season span at Florida, proving to be one of the most productive and decorated scorers in program history. Clayton Jr. holds two of the six highest-scoring seasons in program history, including a UF-record 713 in 2024-25 and 633 in 2023-24. The sharpshooter hit 210 three pointers at UF which is the 10th-highest career total in Florida history, including 117 in 2024-25, the second-most by a Gator in a single season.
Before his time in Gainesville, Clayton Jr. spent two seasons at Iona where he earned 2023 MAAC Player of the Year after averaging 16.8 points with the Gaels.
While Clayton Jr. may not be a traditional point guard, his shot creation, limitless range, confidence, and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect at the next level.