2025-26 Season
WALTER CLAYTON JR.
2025-26 Season
WALTER CLAYTON JR.
Jr. produces at an poor rate for a 20-minute workload.
Jr. produces at an poor rate for a 20-minute workload.
PBP Credit: Every play is analyzed from play-by-play data. Scorers get difficulty-adjusted credit, assisters get creation value based on the shot opportunity they created, and turnovers are classified by type. Shot difficulty is derived from 1M+ shots across 4 seasons. Full methodology
TEAM COMPARISON
of 22 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
Similar Players
Same position, closest production profile this season.
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 246 Guards with 10+ games
THE SEASON SO FAR
Walter Clayton Jr.'s opening stretch of the 2025-26 season was defined by a brutal slump where erratic shooting routinely sabotaged his minutes. He offered nothing offensively during the 11/25 vs GSW matchup, bricking all five of his attempts from the floor to post a disastrous -18.9 Impact score. Even when he put the ball in the basket, hidden costs dragged him down. During the 12/06 vs NYK game, he scored 11 points, yet his -6.8 Impact score revealed how poor defensive effort and sloppy execution completely erased his scoring contributions. He did have rare moments of subtle value, like the 11/04 vs BOS matchup. He scored just 7 points that night but earned a +5.7 Impact score by generating extra possessions through hard-nosed hustle and tight perimeter defense. Outside of those fleeting bright spots, Clayton Jr. looked completely lost on an NBA floor.
Walter Clayton Jr. spent the middle chunk of his season mired in a brutal slump, struggling to find any rhythm as a reliable bench scorer. He briefly caught fire on 12/28 vs SAS, logging a perfect shooting night with 17 points on 6-for-6 from the floor to generate a massive +13.6 Impact score. Even when his shot abandoned him shortly after, he managed to grind out a +0.9 Impact score on 01/02 vs LAC despite scoring just nine points. His relentless defensive effort and timely hustle plays kept him afloat that night. Sadly, those two-way flashes were quickly overshadowed by empty-calorie performances. He tallied 15 points and seven assists on 01/16 vs DAL, yet still posted a -2.0 Impact score. The box score numbers looked appealing, but forced three-pointers—he shot a dismal 1-for-5 from deep—and costly turnovers dragged his overall value into the red. If he wants to stick in an NBA rotation, Clayton must figure out how to contribute without shooting his team out of the game.
Walter Clayton Jr.'s late-season stretch was defined by chronic shooting slumps and an inability to translate raw counting stats into actual winning basketball. Even when his scoring totals looked respectable, hidden costs dragged him down. He dropped 16 points on 03/23 vs ATL, but his shot selection was atrocious; he chucked up 12 three-point attempts and shot 4-for-13 overall, bleeding value to post a -3.9 Impact score. Conversely, he found ways to stay afloat when he leaned into pure facilitation rather than forcing his jumper. During a spot start on 03/01 vs IND, Clayton managed just 7 points but eked out a +0.3 Impact score by shifting his focus to distribution, dishing out a massive 14 assists to keep the offense humming. Too often, though, his offensive misfires completely derailed his minutes. His absolute nadir arrived on 03/07 vs LAC, where an empty stat line and a miserable 1-for-5 shooting display culminated in a catastrophic -22.5 Impact score.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Struggling. Jr. has posted negative impact in 84% of games this season. The production rarely outweighs the cost.
Streaky shooter — only cracks 45% from the field in 27% of games. Efficiency is all over the place night-to-night.
Good defender on his best nights, but it comes and goes. Some games Jr. locks in defensively, others he gets picked apart.
Small downward trend. First-half impact: -7.2, second-half: -9.0. Not alarming yet, but trending the wrong direction.
Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 2 games. Longest cold streak: 18 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY ⚠ Updated 46 days ago
Based on 75 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
69 games played
