I can't believe there ever was a narrative that he's not athletic. In college he had some incredible finishes around the rim where he hangs in the air for what seems like ages... He kind of reminds me of Jamal Murray in that specific regard.
Looks more like Tony Bradley hereWalter Marterry Clayton Jr. is an athlete of substantive ability. He passes lane drills with aplomb, he throws the sphere into the goal from far away, he dunks in a manner that could posterize Noa Essaunge (see AI Image)View attachment 19099
Good take.what I like the most about Clayton Jr. is he is not afraid to take the big shot. He has a little moxie in him without be obnoxious about it.
what I like the most about Clayton Jr. is he is not afraid to take the big shot. He has a little moxie in him without be obnoxious about it.
Maybe not since Carmello?The clutch shooting in the tournament was other-worldly. There has been plenty of one-man NCAA Tournament runs but I can't remember one guy hitting so many dagger shots.
Doesn’t he have a bit of a low release? I think he’s got a quick release.I wonder if there is anywhere I can find out who the most blocked (percentage wise) player in the history of the NBA is?
Athleticism by itself means nothing: it is just the tool allowing players to control a lot of horizontal and vertical space on the court. Athleticism is simply the ability to move your outstretched hands quickly up and down.I think his athleticism is fine. That said his rankings in athletic categories should be compared by age. There is a huge difference from 18-23+ in athleticism.
Another tool is being really good. There’s a reason those few guards with worse measurable numbers weren’t drafted and WCJ was. Players shouldn’t just be graded by their dimensions aloneAthleticism by itself means nothing: it is just the tool allowing players to control a lot of horizontal and vertical space on the court. Athleticism is simply the ability to move your outstretched hands quickly up and down.
And Clayton does have a problem there. His standing reach is the 5th worst at the combine (all four people below him went undrafted) and his wingspan is the 3rd worst (two people with the worse wingspan went undrafted). If you compare him to other small guards in the draft who did get drafted -Fears, Traore, VJ, Cam Jones - they typically have bigger wingspan/standing, by 3-4 inches. So, for him just to be "on par" with other smaller guards he should outjump them by 3-4 inches as well, and be considerably faster laterally. I checked his jumping ability: he is not outjumping them by 3-4 inches.
So, the short answer is that, yes, in general, Clayton will have disadvantages even compared to other NBA point guards. Will he find ways to work around them and be effective? We will see very soon.
I wonder if there is anywhere I can find out who the most blocked (percentage wise) player in the history of the NBA is?