In ESPN’s latest mock draft on Monday, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have made adjustments to their predictions of where players will go.
As of Monday, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. is predicted to come off the board at the No. 20 pick to the Miami Heat. The Heat acquired the No. 20 pick from Golden State in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State. They are now predicting Miami to use that No. 20 acquired pick to keep the Florida native in his home state.
This would bump Clayton back up in the draft, as previous mock drafts had him slipping, with some knocking him out of the first round entirely.
Clayton Jr., the 6’3” guard from Lake Wales owns the most productive and decorated individual season in University of Florida history. In the process of leading the Gators to the 2025 National Championships, he scored a career-high and university-record 713 points. He was the first player in program history to earn first-team All-America honors, including final four and West Regional Most Outstanding Player recognitions and SEC Tournament MVP.
In the latest edition of the mock draft, Givony and Woo note how dynamic Clayton Jr. is on the court and his shot-making abilities. The way he’s able to make offensive plays happen allowed him to move up the board from initially being predicted to be picked at No. 28, to now moving up to No. 20 and could even land higher in the top 20 when he hears his name called on Wednesday night.
Clayton Jr. is an explosive player who can create shot opportunities and can read the floor well off the bench.
Scouts have noted how Miami can be a challenging team and front office to read as they keep their draft talks very tight, sealed, and give very few hints to what they’re thinking. However, Miami is said to need a strong point guard, and Givony and Woo think Clayton Jr. could fit their game plan.
Pick 52: Martin to Phoenix
Another Gator predicted to go early in the first couple days is guard, Alijah Martin. The latest big board prediction sends him to the Phoenix Suns at the No. 52 pick.
Martin, 6’2”, is from Summit, MS. He averaged a career-high 14.4 points per game for the Gators in 2025. He also earned 2025 NABC All-District 2nd team.
In 2024-25 he scored 196 field goals, 81 three-point field goals, and 91 free throws. He had 49 offensive rebounds, 125 rebounds defensively.
The 2025 NBA draft begins Wednesday night.