Walter Clayton Jr. brings Gator swagger to a roaring Jazz debut

Gator legend Walter Clayton Jr. was one of the potential steals of the NBA Draft over the summer. Despite leading Florida to a national title, Clayton Jr. fell to No. 18 to the Utah Jazz.

Utah traded up to grab Clayton Jr., and on opening night, they looked like geniuses for doing so.

Utah pulls off an upset with help from Walter Clayton Jr.

The Utah Jazz entered their opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers as 9.5-point underdogs, the largest margin of any NBA team on opening night.

The Jazz flipped the script and obliterated the Clippers 129-108.

Clayton Jr. came off the bench and instantaneously looked like he belonged in the NBA. His first career NBA points came from driving to his left while guarded by Chris Paul and hitting a shot over Brook Lopez. He would go on to score eight points in the 1st quarter.

His scoring did slow down, and he finished with 10 points off 4-8 shooting, but he also had six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 18 minutes of action.

Fellow rookie Ace Bailey, whom Utah took with the 5th overall pick despite Bailey trying to actively not be in Utah, only had two points and four rebounds in 20 minutes. He was battling an illness, so we'll see if this was just a blip on the radar.

Clayton Jr. transferred to the Florida Gators from Iona ahead of the 2023-24 season. He had a productive first year in Gainesville, but it was his senior campaign that immortalized him forever with Gator basketball.

He hit shots that reminded people of Steph Curry, and he was fearless during Florida's run to a national title.

But even in the national title game, when shots weren't falling for Clayton Jr., he showcased that he is capable of an all-around game and is willing to wait for his moment.

Wednesday showcased shades of that, and it will be exciting to see Clayton Jr.'s progress during the season.