This isn’t surprising, and I don’t think either expected an invite. Still - an opportunity to learn, get feedback and improve.
Not surprising on Richard, a little surprising on Clayton as he definitely seems a “near” NBA prospect with off the charts athleticism. Just shows how high that bar is.
he's undersized. At his size he has to be other-worldly, and he's not there yet. Plus, his defense needs a lot of work, so does his ball security and decision-making
Yep, that's pretty much what I was going to say. He might yet make the NBA but not at this time. If he never makes it, no big deal, he can make a lot of money overseas if he wants to. And he'll be fabulously compensated for his two seasons in Gainesville. Meanwhile, get that degree.
Yeah, I get those are the weaknesses. I actually thought the draft Combine was a bit bigger. Only 78 invites. He probably isn’t far off, but I thought it might be more like 100 or even 150 which is why I was surprised.
He has to work on his defense. The good guards ate him up darn near every possession, especially late in the season.
Only two rounds and 60 picks, which is nice as undrafted free agents can then try out for teams where might have best chance of sticking on a roster, playing on multiple summer league teams, …. Reality is league is so challenging you will be playing in development league or overseas if not first round pick in most cases
I'm somewhat surprised on Clayton. His shooting should be very attractive to a few NBA teams. The Orlando Magic are a prime example of a team without a go-to long range shooter.
And, he’s still a very near prospect. He can improve a few things but: Shot is among one of best from deep. Athleticism is a 9.5. Mentality/makeup is special as nothing flusters him. He’s not perfect but he’s better than some that got the invite. If this is about not being 6”4 that ain’t changing. I’ll take Clayton every time. With his athleticism he easily plays bigger than he is.
Clayton is playing in the G League Elite Camp this weekend. Pullin received an invite as well NBA G League Announces Field Of 45 Draft Prospects For 2024 NBA G League Elite Camp In Chicago - The NBA G League
does anyone know if aside from the experience and the exposure that he's seriously considering leaving us for the G League? I would imagine he makes multiple times more money here under his NIL than he would make in the G League
Clayton is not too small, and offensively, he is good enough to play in the league. He's 6'3", can dunk on you, and can shoot from anywhere on the court unconsciously. He could be instant offense for any NBA team off the bench. There are many teams in the NBA that struggle to score for long periods of time and he would be a welcomed spark plug. However, his ball protection and defense are bad. Bad enough that if I were a GM, I'd want to see him fix it at the college level. I'm not wasting a pick on a guy who cannot defend. Many teams in the league would rather draft a 3&D guy with the length that can guard multiple positions. Payton Pritchard is a guy who is 6'1" in the league who has shot the 3 well but his pesky defense and his all-around play are very impressive. Clayton could be a bigger version of Pritchard. So many of these guys have to make their mark on D to gain minutes in the NBA. The G-League is chalked full of really talented guys who are more well-rounded than our guy.
yes he's great on offense in the college game, but whether or not he can be a consistent scoring threat in the NBA, shooting over a lot more length and better defenders, is one thing....and another like you said is whether he can defend at a high level on the other end. He definitely needs to work on his defense, especially not letting guys blow by him, and needs to be a much more consistent shooter. The NBA 3pt line is 1.5 to 3 feet further out, so a 36.5% 3pt average in college is not going to stand out to NBA scouts as being good enough to take a chance on someone on the smaller side who can't defend at a high level and makes not the best decisions at times. College success doesn't necessarily translate ot NBA success, just like high school success doesn't translate to college success....and it's a much bigger leap. Just ask 6'10 Castleton or 6'8 Fudge. Clayton needs to improve his 3pt shooting and yes be a hell of a lot more pesky on defense...and stop with the lazy, boneheaded passes. Hopefully this experience and feedback will be good for him AND he comes back another year a better player on both ends
