Gators' Clayton Jr. Named to Naismith Player of the Year Watch List

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. was named to the prestigious award's watch list ahead of the season-opener on Nov. 4.

Mar 15, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) drives baseline against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Atlanta Tipoff Club revealed on Wednesday that Florida Gators men’s basketball guard Walter Clayton Jr. was named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List for the upcoming season. 

In his first season in the orange and blue, the senior guard from Lake Wales, Fla., had one of his best years in the scoring department.

Clayton Jr. led the Gators in scoring, averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game and scoring a total of 633 points last season, which the fifth-highest single-season total in program history. Additionally, his career-high 33 points against Colorado in the NCAA Tournament was the second-most by a Gator in the NCAA Tournament. 

As a result of this dominant play from a year ago, Clayton Jr. earned second-team All-SEC honors at the end of the season. His outstanding play also earned him preseason first-team All-SEC for the upcoming season. 

The one major part of Clayton Jr.’s game that makes him so dangerous is his ability to knock down shots from outside the 3-point line. He accounted for 93 3-pointers last season, which ranked No. 8 in single-season total in program history. This was also 33 percent of the Gators total 3-pointers made in 2023-24. 

Individual stats aren’t everything though. Clayton Jr., alongside all of his teammates, helped get the Gators back on track and heading towards the program they want to be. He was one of the main catalysts that helped propel this team back to the SEC Tournament title game, which was the first time they appeared in the title game in 10 years. 

Clayton Jr. will start his push for the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of Year award on Nov. 4 in the Gators' season opener in Jacksonville against South Florida.