![Former Gator Player Walter Clayton Jr. is court side during the first half of a NCAA mens basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, February 14, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_429,y_142,w_1623,h_912/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/227/01kn3as0e5731hccamzq.jpg "Former Gator Player Walter Clayton Jr. is court side during the first half of a NCAA mens basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, February 14, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Walter Clayton Jr. was one of the key pieces that arrived in Memphis in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. Previously selected 18th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Clayton Jr. has had an extremely challenging rookie season. He has yet to find a consistent rhythm offensively since making his Grizzlies debut, and he could be playing for his Grizzlies future.
Given the fact that Ja Morant last appeared in January and has recently been ruled out for the season, this was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Clayton Jr. to boost his stock. That has not been the case at all despite hitting a late go-ahead three against the Bulls on Saturday and playing one of his better games of the season yesterday.
Second-round rookie Javon Small has outperformed Walter Clayton Jr. since the trade deadline and seemingly has a clearer future in Memphis. The last seven games of this season will be the biggest test of Clayton Jr.'s young career and will go a long way towards determining if he remains in Memphis long-term.
Clayton Jr. simply has to be better offensively
Walter Clayton Jr. has appeared in 20 games since being traded to Memphis, and it has not gone to plan offensively. Clayton Jr. is averaging 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. However, he has shot extremely poorly, shooting just 34% from the field and 25.9% from three. Clayton Jr. is making just 41.9% of his two-point shots, almost a ten-point decrease from his brief time in Utah.
It's puzzling because Clayton Jr. had the reputation of being a high-level perimeter shooter when he entered the draft. Shooting 89.3% from the free throw line, his shooting touch has not completely gone away, but his shots simply have to start going in before it is too late. Beyond his shooting struggles, Clayton Jr. has hesitated to attack the basket at times and has made plenty of careless passes, largely due to hesitation.
Clayton Jr. could be playing for his Memphis future
In his media availability after the trade deadline, Zach Kleiman had mentioned Walter Clayton Jr. as one of the young players the Grizzlies could potentially build around. Kleiman pointed to Clayton Jr.'s toughness and the fact that he's a winner amongst the things he liked about him. However, despite Kleiman's glowing endorsement, Clayton Jr.'s Grizzlies future could be on the line.
One of the areas of focus for the Grizzlies this offseason is fixing the logjam they have at the guard position. Even though it's clear Morant is the biggest part of the conversation, Walter Clayton Jr. could potentially be on the way out. Javon Small has made a very strong case to get a standard contract, and the Grizzlies will likely draft a point guard with one of their three picks this summer.
It is important to remember Clayton Jr. is just a rookie; however, the Grizzlies could be forced to make a decision very soon as they start to rebuild.