Walter Clayton Jr. has been on one heck of a run. Once an unheralded recruit who struggled to even get offers from Division I schools, he played two seasons for Rick Pitino at Iona before transferring to Florida. He eventually became a First Team All-American on his way to leading the Gators to the third NCAA basketball championship in school history.
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Every March Madness gives us an ascendant star who puts his own stamp on the tournament, and this year it was undoubtedly Clayton. The 6-foot-3 senior guard helped the Gators overcome deficits in nearly every game with his sweet shooting stroke.
He was clutch against two-time defending champion UConn in the second round, making a three with 2:54 to go to give his team its first lead of the second half, then another with 1:07 left to go up by 6. He scored 30 on Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, including 13 in the final 5:24 after the Red Raiders grabbed a 10-point lead.
Even against fellow Wooden Award finalist Johni Broome, Clayton was clearly the best player on the court in Florida’s Final Four win over Auburn. And, though he struggled to find his shot early against Houston in the championship game, his clutch buckets were integral to the Gators being able to cut down the nets.
Clayton is now expected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He went on First Take this morning to talk about his whirlwind experience. He also addressed comparisons that have been made between his game and those of some of the sweetest-shooting NBA stars like Steph Curry and Damian Lillard, to whom Jay Williams recently compared Clayton.
“It’s a little crazy to me… those are two of the greats. I got a long ways to go before I even get close to that,” he humbly said. “You obviously hear the [comparisons] like Curry, Jamal Murray, multiple guys, but I just try to take bits and pieces from different player’s games.”
Like it or not, Walter Clayton Jr. can’t avoid the Steph Curry comparisons
Clayton may be right that he has a long way to go to be able to cook like Chef Curry, but the similarities in their styles is undeniable. Like the Warriors legend, Clayton is a threat any time he touches the ball over half-court. He’s deadly on catch-and-shoot threes, but also extremely dangerous coming around a screen or taking one off the dribble. He can also finish in the lane or on a pull-up.
Clayton hit one shot against Texas Tech with a minute left and the Gators down two that was positively Curry-esque. He caught a pass after cutting through the lane, then turned and dribbled back to the top of the key and casually drained a fadeaway three with a hand in his face. It was eerily reminiscent of a shot Curry hit 10 years ago that made head coach Steve Kerr just throw his hands up and laugh.
This draft has garnered so much attention because of Cooper Flagg and some other fabulous freshmen, but Clayton’s shooting, passing, and leadership could make him a steal after those first few picks. Remember that Curry was drafted seventh and then went on to make the teams that passed him live to regret it. Clayton could do something similar.
