Welcome Walter Clayton Jr.!

babyjax13 · Post #1 » by **babyjax13** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:43 am

Watch on YouTube

red4hf · Post #2 » by **red4hf** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 10:27 am

He actually reminds me of Sexton......

SkyHook · Post #3 » by **SkyHook** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 10:40 am

red4hf wrote:He actually reminds me of Sexton......

He most reminds me of Jimmer.

Post #4 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 12:38 pm

He reminds me of Cole Anthony.

red4hf · Post #5 » by **red4hf** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:00 pm

SkyHook wrote:
red4hf wrote:He actually reminds me of Sexton......

He most reminds me of Jimmer.

He looks way more athletic than Jimmer......

bkohler · Post #6 » by **bkohler** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:33 pm

Gives me Austin Rivers vibes

SkyHook · Post #7 » by **SkyHook** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 1:40 pm

red4hf wrote:
SkyHook wrote:
red4hf wrote:He actually reminds me of Sexton......

He most reminds me of Jimmer.

He looks way more athletic than Jimmer......

I don't see that at all.

stitches · Post #8 » by **stitches** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:56 pm

So... this will sound wild but... he has hints of Steph Curry. (I'm not saying he will be that successful or good)... just very similar ability to hit really hard 3pointers.

Post #9 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 4:03 pm

stitches wrote:So... this will sound wild but... he has hints of Steph Curry. (I'm not saying he will be that successful or good)... just very similar ability to hit really hard 3pointers.

Sure, he's a very good shooter, but is he even a starter in this league? Compared to who was available, this feels like a very low upside pick for an old player whose type is easy to get by other means.

stitches · Post #10 » by **stitches** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:12 pm

Inigo Montoya wrote:
stitches wrote:So... this will sound wild but... he has hints of Steph Curry. (I'm not saying he will be that successful or good)... just very similar ability to hit really hard 3pointers.

Sure, he's a very good shooter, but is he even a starter in this league? Compared to who was available, this feels like a very low upside pick for an old player whose type is easy to get by other means.

He's more than just a shooter. He's a real gamer and a high level competitor, he's a scorer and a playmaker. I don't think he's a low upside pick. I think he can be a starting guard for the next great Jazz team. I think people underestimate the level of shooter and scorer he is. His shot diet is extremely versatile and he's good at pretty much every type of shot there is - off the bounce, in iso, on the catch, off screens, in the PnR ... he just shoots an easy and pretty shot from pretty much everywhere on the court. When he shoots it just looks like it's going to go in... and it does go in at a pretty good clip, despite him having some ridiculously hard shots in his shot diet. I personally had him at no. 10 on my board for whatever it's worth and I loved the pick.

BTW worth pointing out - this seems like one final FU from Ainge to Pat Riley - there were leaks before the draft that Clayton had a promise from Miami at 20.

If Steph is too high of a mark(and it is), think Brunson.. think FVV... IMO he has that type of game...

Post #11 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 5:22 pm

stitches wrote:
Inigo Montoya wrote:
stitches wrote:So... this will sound wild but... he has hints of Steph Curry. (I'm not saying he will be that successful or good)... just very similar ability to hit really hard 3pointers.

Sure, he's a very good shooter, but is he even a starter in this league? Compared to who was available, this feels like a very low upside pick for an old player whose type is easy to get by other means.

He's more than just a shooter. He's a real gamer and a high level competitor, he's a scorer and a playmaker. I don't think he's a low upside pick. I think he can be a starting guard for the next great Jazz team. I think people underestimate the level of shooter and scorer he is. His shot diet is extremely versatile and he's good at pretty much every type of shot there is - off the bounce, in iso, on the catch, off screens, in the PnR ... he just shoots an easy and pretty shot from pretty much everywhere on the court. When he shoots it just looks like it's going to go in... and it does go in at a pretty good clip, despite him having some ridiculously hard shots in his shot diet. I personally had him at no. 10 on my board for whatever it's worth and I loved the pick.

BTW worth pointing out - this seems like one final FU from Ainge to Pat Riley - there were leaks before the draft that Clayton had a promise from Miami at 20.

If Steph is too high of a mark(and it is), think Brunson.. think FVV... IMO he has that type of game...

I think he's more like Cole Anthony. The instinct to trade up was good, it's just a shame they didn't go with a different, younger player with more upside.

Post #12 » by **Inigo Montoya** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 6:19 pm

Here's a comp: Jamal Murray.

babyjax13 · Post #13 » by **babyjax13** » Thu Jun 26, 2025 8:45 pm

My problem with Clayton is that he has some really clean dribble moves and an amazing jumper, but if you watch him you will notice that when he makes dribble moves he does not create a ton of space and it will be worse in the NBA. He has a really narrow base and I just don't think that is a recipe for a ton of success. He is built like Tre Mann who has been a nice 7th man for Charlotte, but he isn't anything more.

Hopefully I am wrong, obviously these are NBA decision makers with a lot more time to watch prospects + more access than any of us have.

Daddy 801 · Post #14 » by **Daddy 801** » Fri Jun 27, 2025 8:52 pm

Watched a little tape. Read some stats. Listened to Locke and a few other guys.

While there was other guys I think I would have taken over him, I’m not bummed. His shooting is lights out. He was taking hard shots and nailing at a high rate. He won’t have to do that in the NBA. My biggest hope is he can play super hard for 20 mins a night and be a super backup spark. If we could get Jamal Murray/JJ Redick with a touch of TJ McConnell hustle and grind I’d be ok with that.

If he develops into more that would be great, but it’s going to be really hard for a guy like him to play 30-35 mins a night trying to defend the larger elite PG’s and SG’s.If he does develop his game to where he can play starter mins that would be impressive.

Catchall · Post #15 » by **Catchall** » Mon Jun 30, 2025 1:33 am

He looks amazing in these highlights. Will need to see what he looks like against NBA size and physicality, but he could be our starter at the 1. He plays at NBA speed and shoots with NBA+ range. He's got advanced timing and advanced footwork, which enabled him to freeze defenders and get his step.

MalonesElbows · Post #16 » by **MalonesElbows** » Tue Jul 1, 2025 9:16 pm

My old self would dismiss Clayton because he isn't that athletic, short wingspan, but then you see a players like Brunson and Trae Young excelling in the league and become a little more grounded. Glad Clayton is on the Jazz,

stitches · Post #17 » by **stitches** » Tue Jul 1, 2025 9:36 pm

MalonesElbows wrote:My old self would dismiss Clayton because he isn't that athletic, short wingspan, but then you see a players like Brunson and Trae Young excelling in the league and become a little more grounded. Glad Clayton is on the Jazz,

He's more athletic than people give him credit for. When I first watched him I thought of him in a similar way, but then he kept making really athletic plays - he hangs in the air in a similar way to Jamal Murray when attacking the rim. He has some impressive dunks too.

babyjax13 · Post #18 » by **babyjax13** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 2:00 am

Clayton has really won me over in SL

Watch on YouTube

Daddy 801 · Post #19 » by **Daddy 801** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 7:46 pm

His ball control, feel of the game, and passing is good to potentially semi elite. At least with the small sample size I have seen. Went to a summer league game and watched a few others. He is clearly our best PG. I was telling my son I could easily see him getting 10-20 starts this season. Also said I could see Bryce getting the start over Keyonte for 10-20 games if he continues to play well.

Summer league is summer league, but I was very pleasantly surprised with what I saw. Probably because we had him on our team for a while but I could see Clayton having Mike Conley type career. Always a good respectable player that can perform well but is never one of the elite guys who makes it to the allstar or third team or whatever. I know Mike made the one allstar game….but you get my point. I think that’s his ceiling, but I like what I’ve seen so far. He better be working his tail off learning how to defend though because that’s where he won’t get time on the floor.

Overall happy with that pick even if there were guys with higher ceilings. The Jazz have needed a decent PG since DWill (not counting Mike, but guys we drafted).