Jazz Coach Speaks Out on Benching Walter Clayton Jr. For Being 'Nonchalant'
The Utah Jazz remain undefeated through two games in the 2025 Salt Lake City NBA Summer League after escaping with a thrilling 112-111 victory on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies at Jon M. Huntsman Center.
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Brice Sensabaugh starred for the Jazz, as he dropped 37 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting from the floor while hitting 13 of his 14 tries from the foul line. But many eyes were also on the Jazz's rookies, particularly Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., who both had their moments.
Clayton, however, did not have a good showing early on, as he was even benched in the first half. The former Florida Gators star struggled with ball security in the first two quarters, turning the ball over five times.
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) talks to the crowd during the National Championship celebration at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
'Tonight, we had to take him out of the game in the first half because he was a little too nonchalant,' Jazz Summer League coach Scott Morrison said of Clayton (via Ben Anderson of KSL Sports).
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However, Clayton turned things around after halftime, as noted by Morrison.
'But then we don't win the game without him in the second half, and he was the guy we wanted to go to down the stretch,' Morrison added.
Clayton shot just 1-for-3 from the field in the second half, but he had two rebounds and four assists, as he displayed his abilities to set up his teammates for scoring chances. He was also a plus-12 in the final two periods. Overall, Clayton had four points, three rebounds and six assists to go along with a plus-11 in the win over Memphis.
Clayton and the Jazz will look to go 3-0 when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in their final game of the Salt Lake City Summer League on Wednesday.
Related: Walter Clayton Jr. Turns Heads in NBA Summer Debut
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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