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The Utah Jazz traded up with the Washington Wizards to select former Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. with the No. 18 pick of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday night.
“I felt like I gained a lot (of confidence) just being around those guys (at Florida),” Clayton said after being drafted. “I don’t think people understand the chemistry we had on and off the court in the time we spent together.”
Clayton said his daughter was his greatest source of motivation as he begins his NBA career.
ESPN had Clayton linked to Miami at pick No. 20 and projected New Orleans to take him three picks later. Several other projection services mocked Clayton to the Heat, and his floor appeared to be No. 26 with Brooklyn.
“Clayton has showcased his dynamic shotmaking in workouts and worked his way up boards in a first round that has shaped up somewhat light on point guard options,” read ESPN’s Jeremy Woo’s justification. “He has fans in front offices selecting higher than (No. 23), with scenarios in play in which he lands in the top 20. His explosiveness and ability to create his own shot are strong calling cards that should give him a pathway to being a useful bench scorer, at worst.”
Woo’s words became reality at 10:15 p.m. as NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Clayton’s name. He got the call to make things official, became emotional and embraced his family before going up to the stage. Despite wearing a Wizards hat for the photo op, Clayton is headed to Utah.
Walter Clayton Jr. with the Gators
Clayton joined Florida ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. A top-100 transfer who blossomed as a sophomore under Rick Pitino at Iona, Clayton started alongside UC Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin in the second year of the Todd Golden era at Florida.
In his first year with the program, Clayton earned second-team All-Conference honors and led the Gators with 17.6 points per game — the most for a Gator since 2003-04. He immediately became one of the most prolific scorers in program history, ranking in the top 10 for a single season in most major scoring categories. Although Florida came up short in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a 33-point outburst served as an omen for what was to come.
Clayton returned as the unquestioned leader of Florida’s offense and stepped into the starting point guard role. While he played with a notably increased focus on passing the ball, Clayton still took over games with his shooting whenever necessary. His back-to-back 30-plus games in the Elite Eight and Final Four made him the first player since Larry Bird to achieve that feat in a regional final or deeper in the playoffs. He surpassed the 2,000 point mark for his career and earned a consensus All-America nod.
Walter Clayton Jr. before Florida
Clayton grew up in Lake Wales, Florida, and played high school ball for the Bartow Yellow Jackets. He was a dual-sport athlete being recruited by Power Four programs in football until he it gave up after his sophomore year. He led Bartow to a pair of state championships, averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals over those two seasons.
He averaged 7.3 points, 1.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds over 16.1 minutes per game off the bench as a true freshman at Iona. While still adjusting to the speed of the college game, Clayton shot a modest 43.4% from the field and 35.7% from deep. His 78.7% free-throw shooting is uncharacteristic, but he was still a rookie.
Clayton took over a starting role for the Gaels in 2022-23. He improved all of his averages — 16.8 points, 3.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds — while playing 30 minutes a game. His shooting percentages also went up, 45.5% from the field, 43.1% from deep and an elite 95.3% at the free throw line.
Florida draft history
Florida has produced 12 first-round picks besides Clayton. Legendary center Neal Walk was the first and highest-picked at No. 2 in 1969, and then it took more than two decades for another. Center Dwayne Schintzius went at No. 24 in 1990, and Jason “White Chocolate” Williams broke into the top 10 at No. 7 in 1998. Forwards Mike Miller (No. 5) and Donnell Harvey (No. 22) were the first duo to go in the first round during the same year in 2000, and David Lee snuck into the first round at No. 30 in 2005.
The legendary trio of Corey Brewer (No. 7), Al Horford (No. 3) and Joakim Noah (No. 9) all went in the top 10 in the 2007 draft. Marreese Speights was No. 16 in 2008, Beal was No. 3 in 2012 and Mann was No. 18 in 2021.
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