Former Florida basketball G Walter Clayton Jr. picked by Thunder in SB Nation mock draft

Florida basketball's electrifying guard and centerpiece of its 2025 national championship team, Walter Clayton Jr., continues to garner first-round NBA attention.In SB Nation's latest 2025 NBA mock draft, sports writer Ricky O'Donnell has the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Clayton with the No.

24 overall pick.Clayton's path to this point has been anything but ordinary.

After transferring from Iona to Florida, he erupted onto the national scene, rewriting the Gators' record book and earning a laundry list of accolades, including Final Four Most Outstanding Player and consensus First-Team All-America honors.Clayton's 713 points in the 2024-25 season set a new program record, and his 117 made three-pointers rank second in school history.The Thunder, known for betting on proven college stars and developing them in a winning environment, could be an ideal landing spot for the Lake Wales native.

His offensive efficiency, poise under pressure and ability to create space as a 6-foot-3-inch guard can be an intriguing complement to Oklahoma City's young core.Few guards in college basketball were more impactful than Clayton over the past two seasons.

If his success at Floridaparticularly his clutch performances in the SEC and NCAA tournamentstranslates to pre-draft workouts and interviews, he could climb even higher on draft boards before June.SB Nation's 2025 NBA mock draft top 10Utah Jazz: Cooper Flagg, F, Duke Blue DevilsWashington Wizards: Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers Scarlet KnightsCharlotte Hornets: VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor BearsNew Orleans Pelicans: Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke Blue DevilsPhiladelphia 76ers: Ace Bailey, F, Rutgers Scarlet KnightsBrooklyn Nets: Khaman Maluach, C, Duke Blue DevilsToronto Raptors: Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma SoonersSan Antonio Spurs: Derik Queen, F/C, Maryland TerrapinsHouston Rockets: Tre Johnson, G, Texas LonghornsPortland Trail Blazers: Collin Murray-Boyles, C/F, South Carolina GamecocksFollow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Where SB Nation has Walter Clayton Jr.

going in 2025 NBA mock draft.

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