Jazz Mailbag: What to make of Walt Clayton getting waived?

On Monday, as NBA teams finalized their regular-season rosters, the Grizzlies waived former Jazz guard Walt Clayton Jr.

The move wasn’t entirely unexpected; Memphis had too many players competing for roster spots and a deep pool of young talent vying for playing time.

Ultimately, Clayton Jr.’s lack of experience, limited production, and relatively low cost to waive made him one of the odd men out.

What can we learn from it?

Admittedly, I was a strong proponent of Clayton Jr. coming out of college. The guard helped lead Florida to a national championship, using his sharp shooting and on-court leadership to guide the Gators to the NCAA title.

The Jazz had struggled with inconsistent point guard play and poor shooting percentages, making Clayton Jr. appear to be a ready-made solution to some of the team’s biggest weaknesses.

The Memphis Grizzlies are waiving 2025 No. 18 pick Walter Clayton Jr. and Micah Peavy, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/Pm2xstDy2f

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

So what changed?

First, and perhaps most importantly, Keyonte George made a significant leap in his third season, nearly single-handedly solving the Jazz’s backcourt issues and dramatically reducing Clayton Jr.’s potential role.

Second, Clayton Jr.’s best skill, his shooting, did not immediately translate as a rookie, making it more difficult for him to earn minutes. He shot just 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range, which magnified his other shortcomings, namely inconsistent defense and a lack of size.

Third, through no particular fault of his own, there are simply too few NBA roster spots for the number of guaranteed contracts entering the league each year.

The NBA has not expanded in more than two decades, while the pool of college and international talent continues to grow. As a result, more players are competing for a limited number of jobs.

And Clayton Jr. is not the only example.

Rob Dillingham was the eighth overall pick in 2024 and is out of the NBA after just two seasons, having been traded twice during the first 24 months of his career.

Dalton Knecht, another member of the 2024 draft class, was also waived by the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday because of a lack of roster space. That’s to make no mention of Grady Dick, Jett Howard, or Jase Richardson, all fellow first-round picks in recent years.

All of these players entered the league with reputations as high-level shooters but failed to develop enough in other areas. They’re now left looking to re-establish themselves elsewhere in the NBA.

What can be learned from Clayton Jr., Dillingham and Knecht?

While these three first-round picks look like disappointing selections at this stage of their careers, it would be foolish to write off their futures based on such a small sample size.

All three will likely receive opportunities either in the G League or with other NBA teams, and each could find greater success in a different situation in the coming years.

Still, there are lessons to be learned from their career paths.

Positional versatility is critical in today’s NBA, and with few exceptions, players who can fill multiple roles increase their value.

Not sure if it’s a pattern or a coincidence, but between Rob Dillingham, Walt Clayton Jr., and Dalton Knecht, we’re seeing high level college shooters struggle to make it in the NBA.

Dillingham and Clayton really struggled to shoot, while Knecht didn’t seem to improve in LA.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 19, 2026

Both Dillingham and Clayton Jr. are pigeonholed into playing point guard because of their size, leaving them with a narrow path to earning and keeping NBA roles.

Their size also made them frequent targets for opposing offenses, further exposing their defensive shortcomings.

Knecht has better size than either Dillingham or Clayton Jr., but concerns about his defense have followed him since college.

That reality does not bode well for specialists who provide value on only one end of the floor, and it could spell trouble for other shooting specialists.

That may help explain why current Jazz wing Brice Sensabaugh did not get a contract extension finalized this summer despite his outstanding shooting numbers, while Sam Merrill, a former second-round pick from Utah State, is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the next three seasons.

Sensabaugh remains a question mark defensively, while Merrill has improved significantly on that end of the floor.

Ultimately, with so few roster spots available and the talent pool expanding every year, making an NBA roster is harder than ever.

That could force teams like the Jazz to rethink what they value in young prospects, even in a game that so highly prioritizes shooting, if they want to have more success in the draft.

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