Basketball in Florida Combo guard Walter Clayton Jr. showed he can light up a scoreboard in his first season at UF in 2023-24.
Clayton’s 17.6 points per game average was the highest for a Florida Gators player since Anthony Roberson averaged 17.9 points per game for UF in 2003-04.
But after playing mostly off the ball last season, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Clayton will enter the 2024-25 season as UF’s likely starter at point guard.
Clayton has been unsteady with the ball at times in the 2023-24 season, posting a 93-80 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Taking care of the ball, Clayton said, has been one of the areas of the game he’s worked on the most in the offseason.
“I’m just getting to know my teammates, the passes they can catch, the ones that might be a little tougher,” Clayton said of preparing to play more points. “The passes I can throw and the ones I can’t throw. I think I was a little sloppy with the ball at times last year, taking too many risks. So we’ve got to be better at that.”
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has confidence in Clayton running the offense. Clayton ran the point at Iona before transferring to UF and started the first three games at point guard for the Gators last season when starting point guard Zyon Pullin was suspended due to an NCAA suspension. Some of the feedback Clayton received from NBA teams before withdrawing from the draft last spring centered on showing he could play point guard more consistently.
“The biggest improvement Walt has made so far has been his consistency and his leadership,” Golden said. “I think that’s something that’s helped me a lot as we worked together to figure out how to get him back to Florida last year and make sure it was the right situation for everybody. That was something that was important to me; his leadership, both vocally and by example, had to be really, really consistent.”
“He’s shown that he can improve by taking on more responsibility. Obviously, being the primary playmaker at the start of our offense will be a challenge, but he’s done a great job of accepting it. He’s put himself in very good shape, given the way we intend to play.”
Can the scoring point guard be a weapon for Florida basketball?
Clayton will replace Pullin, who provided his share of offense last season (15.5 points per game) while remaining one of the most consistent point guards in college basketball. Pullin’s 162-43 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked third nationally last season.
“He took great care of the ball,” Clayton said. “He was great at it, he was just low, he was strong in his ball handling at all times, he took maybe less risks, you know what I mean, I learned that from him.”
Clayton brings a more dangerous threat at point guard, as his 93 three-pointers led UF last season and tied for fourth in the SEC. He can score for himself when he’s open in transition or on off-ball screens.
“A point guard who scores can be a real weapon,” Clayton said. “But obviously you want to get your teammates involved as well. You just have to balance that, the challenge and the balance between that.”
Florida is able to take the pressure off Clayton by leading the offense through substitutions, as junior Denzel Aberdeen, sophomore Kajus Kublickas and freshman Urban Klavzar are all capable of coming in and leading the offense for stretches. Golden said returning starter Will Richard and FAU transfer point guard Alijah Martin could also lead the offense at times.
“Denzel is a player we’re looking to a lot for this year,” Golden said. “He’s going to play a lot of ball. Whether it’s Kajus, Urban, a lot of those guys are capable. Alijah and Will will have some ball-handling responsibilities. We’re going to do it by committee that way.”
Kevin Brockway is the Florida editor of the Gainesville Sun. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article was originally published on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball guard Walter Clayton Jr. eager to play point guard for UF
