How Walter Clayton Jr. Fits into the Jazz's Backcourt

As for Collier and George, they are highly talented players but still have ways to go as shooters. George shot 39.1 percent from the field on 13.7 attempts a game and 34.3 percent from deep on 7.6 attempts a game. Collier was slightly better than George overall, shooting 42.2 percent on 7.8 attempts, but struggled from deep. He connected on just 24.9 percent of his 2.4 three-point attempts. 

This is where injecting Clayton Jr. into the rotation makes a ton of sense. He is a guy who has taken the lion’s share of shots and has shown to be one of the more reliable scorers in this draft. He finished his senior season commanding 44.8/39.2/87.4 shooting splits across 40 games. Additionally, he made 122 3-pointers in 2024-25, which was tied for sixth in the NCAA. 

The tough shot-making from Clayton Jr. is also another reason why the Jazz traded their way up to pick 18 in the first round. He was knocking down deep threes, step-back threes, spin jumpers and other difficult shots throughout last season. 

One recent example is in Florida’s Final Four game against Auburn, when he finished with 34 points and five 3-pointers. In this contest, he hit step-backs, running floaters and finished through traffic in the paint. 

Another strong quality of Clayton Jr. is that he doesn’t need to be the main ball handler to be effective. He can play on the ball or as a spot-up shooter.

In his first season in Gainesville, he played as the second ball handler behind Zyon Pullin and averaged 17.6 points a game. Then, last year, he had the ball in his hands nearly every possession and scored 18.4 points a game. Having this versatility on offense will make it easier for him to find a way onto the court. 

In reality, it shouldn’t be hard for the Jazz to find minutes off the bench for a guy who could become a dangerous offensive weapon that can get a bucket in a variety of ways.

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