NBA
Utah’s rookie Walter Clayton Jr. had a productive game off the bench in his NBA debut
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on October 23, 2025
For their first game of the 2025-26 season, the Jazz were at home to face the Clippers. Los Angeles was a 9.5-point favorite heading into the game on Wednesday evening.
Despite being underdogs, the Jazz pulled off an upset win vs. the Clippers. They are 1-0 to begin the season after a 129-108 victory. Walker Kessler led the team with 22 points. Additionally, rookie PG Walter Clayton Jr. had a productive game off the bench for Utah. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Walter Clayton Jr. was impressive in his NBA debut with the Utah Jazz
Walter Clayton Jr showed out in his first NBA game, looking the part of an NBA-ready backup PG
🐊10 PTS
🐊6 REB
🐊5 AST
🐊2 STL
🐊4/8 FGSuper optimistic start for the rook pic.twitter.com/ARG1T2beap
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) October 23, 2025
With the 18th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Jazz selected Walter Clayton Jr. out of Florida. The 22-year-old spent four seasons at the collegiate level. Two with Iona and his final with the Gators. As a senior in 2024-25, Walter Clayton helped lead Florida to their first national title in 18 years. He was an unstoppable force in the 2025 NCAA tournament. Despite being an older player, Walter Clayton Jr. is polished and ready for the NBA.
He proved that in his NBA debut on Wednesday night. The rookie had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 18 minutes of action. Clayton was 4-8 from the field and 1-3 from beyond the arc. He also finished 1-1 from the free-throw line. Walter Clayton had more production in Utah’s season opener than top-five pick Ace Bailey out of Rutgers.
walter. clayton. jr.
first bucket in the league 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ffPxKMYcXM
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 23, 2025
Bailey played 20 minutes off the bench on Wednesday. He had two points, four rebounds, and two assists. The 19-year-old was 1-5 from he field and 0-2 from beyond the arc. Certainly not the NBA debut Ace Bailey expected. What matters most is that the team got a win. It might take the rookie some time to develop.
While it was a disappointing start for Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr. had a nice debut. His five assists and six rebounds were both tied for the second-most on the team Wednesday night. Even in a smaller role, Walter Clayton Jr. is making a name for himself. If the rookie continues to have increased production, Clayton Jr. could see his role expand.
