Walter Clayton Jr. could be squeezed off the Grizzlies roster after Memphis acquired Jordan Hawkins from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Memphis Grizzlies made waves by acquiring guard Jordan Hawkins from the New Orleans Pelicans. It could spell the end of guard Walter Clayton Jr.'s tenure with the team.
Generally, Clayton Jr.'s time in Memphis has been brief but interesting. He spent 24 games with the team last year. Clayton Jr. averaged 9.7 points and 5.7 assists per game. On the surface, those are solid numbers for a 23-year-old.
But a deeper dig suggests that Clayton Jr. has plenty of room to improve.
Grizzlies' Walter Clayton Jr. Needs to Improve
Clayton Jr. does a lot well. He's an excellent passer. He's also a high-effort defender. His limited lateral mobility can be an issue on that end, but that's not primarily what's holding Clayton Jr. back:
That would be his ability to score the ball.
Clayton Jr. isn't lacking talent, but he's not especially athletically gifted at the NBA level. Clayton Jr. lacks the burst and agility to regularly pressure the rim. In college, he was a prolific 3-point shooter:
But unfortunately, that hasn't been the case in the NBA.
At least he's been consistent. Clayton Jr. shot 30.8% from 3-point range in the 45 games he spent with the Utah Jazz last year. After landing in Memphis, he hit 30.7% of his triples during the rest of his season.
It could be a fatal flaw, and it's one that the recently acquired Hawkins doesn't entirely share.
Grizzlies Likely to Prioritize Jordan Hawkins
Granted, Hawkins' 3-point shooting has also been disappointing relative to his college level.
Through three NBA seasons with the Pelicans, he's hit just 34.8% of his 3s. Coupled with a 37.4% overall field goal percentage, this paints a troubling picture. Hawkins has been quite inefficient.
Still, he's a markedly more talented NBA scorer than Clayton Jr. Let's start with the obvious: 34.8% is approaching league average. Unfortunately, 30.7% is well outside of that field.
More broadly, the degree of difficulty on Hawkins' average shot has been much higher. He's taking contested looks, whereas Clayton Jr. has often been open. Defenses want him to shoot the 3.
None of which is to say Clayton Jr. has no potential. It's simply that Memphis has a roster crunch. They're a handful of players above the limit, and Clayton Jr. won't be the only player to suffer the consequences.
This article is being written because he's likely to be the best player the Grizzlies cut.
It's still entirely possible that he'll find success on another NBA team.
