Walter Clayton Jr. has always been a late bloomer — in basketball, at least. As Clayton has grown into an all-time March Madness hero during the 2025 NCAA tournament, a central part of his lore is that Florida offered him a football scholarship years before he signed with the school out of the transfer portal in basketball. The Gators weren’t alone in believing Clayton could be a stud defensive back on the football field, with Notre Dame, Georgia and Tennessee offering him, too.
Clayton did a funny thing once those football offers rolled in after his sophomore year of high school: He quit the sport forever to focus on basketball. He transferred to Bartow High School about 45 minutes outside of Tampa for his final two years of prep ball, and led his school to back-to-back Florida state championships. Unfortunately for Clayton, the Covid pandemic limited his exposure, and his only offers were from low-majors like Jacksonville, East Carolina, and Iona.
One of those schools just so happened to be coached by Rick Pitino. Pitino was building back his reputation after losing his job at Louisville amid widespread scandal, and Iona was the one school willing to take a chance on him. One of the defining college coaches of his generation heard about Clayton, and decided he was worth a chance, too.
After winning MAAC Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2023, Clayton transferred to Florida, and the rest is quickly becoming history.
Clayton is rewriting the NCAA tournament record books as he leads Florida into the national championship game against Houston on Monday night. His flurry of three-pointers bailed out the Gators in the round of 32 against No. 8 seed UConn (better known as the two-time defending national champs). He was even more heroic in the Elite Eight against Texas Tech, ripping three huge three-pointers to bring Florida back from a 10-point deficit with under six minutes left.
Clayton saved his best for the Final Four, dropping 34 points on No. 1 overall seed Auburn with another nuclear burst of shot-making (5-of-8 from three) to seal the win.
The NCAA tournament always felt like it could be a launching pad for Clayton. He was one of the best guards in the country this entire season, and he was playing his best ball late in the year as Florida was emerging into a national championship favorite. Clayton was named a AP First-Team All-American. We ranked him as the No. 3 player in March Madness entering the tournament. Somehow, even that was underrating him. Clayton has been the best player in the 2025 NCAA tournament the entire way through. Now the only question left to answer is what to make of his pro future.
Clayton did not appear in one of our 2025 NBA mock drafts until our pre-tournament projection, which had had him at No. 27. Clayton will be even higher in our next mock draft coming Tuesday morning, but his draft stock will remain a point of contention.
Let’s dive into how Clayton’s game translates to the NBA, and where he could be selected.
Clayton’s pull up shooting is special
Clayton has always been a good three-point shooter, hitting 38.5 percent of his threes on 5.1 attempts per game coming into this year across his first three college seasons. It feels like he’s taken another leap as a shooter this year, and it’s put him on NBA radars.
As a senior for Florida, Clayton has made 39.1 percent of his threes on 301 attempts entering the national championship game. The jump has come in his ability to create three-point looks for himself off the dribble. This has been on full display during March Madness:
Last season, 85.9 percent of Clayton’s three-pointers were assisted. This year, only 55.9 percent of his threes have been assisted. Having a guard who can pull-up from deep to beat the opposing defense is the stuff of stars, and Clayton has proven he has that skill.
Clayton has a super-quick release off the catch
The reality for Clayton is he won’t play on-the-ball as much in the NBA. He’ll need to be a committed floor spacer who can fire a spot-up three-pointer with range and quickness. Clayton is a natural catch-and-shoot threat, and his release is lightning fast. Watch how quickly he gets this shot off on the pitch from the corner.
Movement shooting like this is so important in the NBA. If anyone sees Clayton’s catch-and-shoot numbers from Synergy, drop it in the comments. Even better, hook me up with a log-in!
Clayton turned into a full-time point guard this season
Clayton was more of a shooting guard in his first season at Florida, with Zyon Pullin taking on lead playmaking duties. With Pullin graduating, Clayton has become Florida’s full-time point guard with good results.
Clayton’s assist percentage jumped from 15.1 percent as a junior to 22.7 percent as a senior. He doesn’t have amazing passing vision, but he can make basic reads and throw passes on time and on target.
What’s holding Walter Clayton back from being a lottery pick?
There’s absolutely a chance Clayton could still end up as a lottery pick. His March Madness run has been that spectacular, and the middle of the first-round is a bit soft in this draft class.
There’s two things NBA teams will knock Clayton for: size and age. He’s listed at 6’2 or 6’3 depending on the site you look at. He’s already 22 years old, and will turn 23 as a rookie.
Every NBA team wants big guards these days who can defend multiple positions and play a connective role at both ends of the floor. Clayton’s defense has improved this year, but he’ll be at a physical disadvantage guarding NBA players. He will probably be the smallest guy on the floor in most of his NBA minutes.
Clayton’s ability to get to the rim and score at the rim will also be questioned. He only had 133 attempts at the rim this year, per Bart Torvik, which is a bit of a low number for 38 games played. He made 64.7 percent of those attempts. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the likely No. 2 pick in this draft, had 170 rim attempts in 29 games, and made 70 percent of those looks.
Clayton isn’t the most explosive athlete, which hurts him finishing at the rim and getting to the foul line. He only had six dunks all year, and his 41.9 percent free throw rate is an average number.
Small guards often have to be brilliant playmakers, with the Cavs’ Darius Garland as a chief example. Clayton is more good than great in that area. He won’t be a lead playmaker in the NBA. He’ll only be a one position defender, too. He has star traits in college, but his ability to transition to an NBA role player is a big question.
Walter Clayton Jr. NBA comparison and draft projection
I’ll credit Corey Tulaba of No Ceilings for the best Clayton comp so far: Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard was an amazing college player, ranking No. 6 on our list of the best players in the country during 2019-2020. He’s gone on to have a great NBA career as a bench scorer for the Celtics, and who knows what he could do in a bigger opportunity.
A couple more comps I like for Clayton are Patty Mills and Cole Anthony. It’s possible Clayton can be a better shooter than both. That’s where he’ll have to make his money.
Clayton’s draft range is currently 15-30 in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. It will be an uphill climb for Clayton to become a regular rotation piece in the NBA, but he will have every opportunity to prove he’s worthy of a role.