It was a night full of firsts for former Florida Gators Will Richard and Walter Clayton Jr., who both made their NBA debuts this week and impressed during their time on the court.
Now part of the Utah Jazz, Clayton Jr. began his night coming off the bench with just over four minutes to go in the first and wasted little time getting to work with his new team.
With the help of his center, Jusuf Nurkic, the first-round pick carefully knifed his way into the paint and knocked down a 10-foot floater for his first points in his professional career. He also got fouled on the shot and converted the old-fashioned three-point play.
walter. clayton. jr.
first bucket in the league 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ffPxKMYcXM
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 23, 2025
Clayton Jr. then got his first career steal and assists on the following two possessions. After pinching the ball off the guy he was guarding, he quickly found his teammate for a fast break dunk on the other end to get the crowd going.
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rooks are puttin’ on a show
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— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 23, 2025
By the end of the first quarter, Clayton Jr. had eight points, two steals, one rebound and one assist. He wound up finishing the night with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 18 minutes of action in the Jazz’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
WALTER CLAYTON JR IS ON FIRE
8 First Quarter Points for the rookie 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1uRUbU9HUP
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) October 23, 2025
While Richard did not stuff the stat sheet as much as Clayton Jr., he did make the most of his minutes. In his debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, Richard logged five points and a rebound, an assist and a steal.
The former Gator got his first taste of NBA action around the two-minute mark of the first quarter, being called off the bench to replace Buddy Hield.
However, his first career points did not come until the closing seconds of the third quarter. In true Richard fashion, he came up with an offensive board after a miss and quickly rose back up with it for a four-foot make to get his first point in the league.
Then, in the final period of the game, Richard connected on his first 3-pointer of his career off an assist from Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.
The GSW coaching staff has clearly fallen in love with Will Richard, whose tenacious defense and ability to knock down shots within a movement-based offense has already earned him a role despite being drafted 56th overall
Love an underdog story pic.twitter.com/VjyDqxXvH6
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) October 22, 2025
Following his debut, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr praised the rookie, likening him to a more experienced player.
“Will looks like he’s in his seventh year,” Kerr said. “He doesn’t look like a rookie out there.”
It is no surprise to see this duo provide winning contributions at the highest level. Both made their presence known when they were wearing the Orange and Blue, especially during the Gators’ championship run in the 2024-25 season. Each had their highlight games during this stretch, with Clayton Jr. dropping 30 points in back-to-back games in the Elite Eight and Final Four, and Richard having a team-high 18 points in the national championship.
The duo were two of three Gators drafted alongside guard Alijah Martin, who was taken in the second round and now plays for the Toronto Raptors.
“Obviously, we’re forever grateful for what they did for our program,” UF head coach Todd Golden said last month. “And it’s the best-case scenario, because everybody won, right? And these relationships, like, they all came in as unheralded draft prospects, and we won a national championship together, and all three of them got drafted, right? It went great for everybody.
“They believed in us and what we were trying to build. We believed in them as people and players that they could, you know, execute and achieve what our goals were, and it worked out. And I’m just happy that they were rewarded by being drafted for what they were able to accomplish in our program.”
If both players can replicate their efforts and performances while in a Gators uniform with their respective organizations, then it is safe to imagine them having steady careers in the NBA.
