Walter Clayton Jr. signing is the Mavericks' biggest steal of the season

The NBA season is well underway, and the Dallas Mavericks are off to a better start than most people expected, sitting at 4-3.

While the duo of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving has done the heavy lifting, a big bright spot for Dallas has been Walter Clayton Jr., who was signed to a two-way contract on the day the Mavs played their first game of the season. Seven games in, Clayton looks like the Mavericks' biggest steal of the season and is making a big impact that Dallas desperately needs in their backcourt.

Walter Clayton Jr. has earned minutes much earlier than expected

October 21, the day of the Mavericks' season opener against the Houston Rockets, was also the day the Mavs actually signed Clayton to a two-way contract. After getting waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas' front office quickly jumped on snagging the former Florida Gator. Surprisingly enough, the 2025 first-round pick was even active on the day he signed and has since averaged 13 minutes per game.

While Clayton's numbers don't pop off the screen, averaging just under seven points a game and almost three assists, his impact is felt, as he is a shooter this team needs while also being a secondary ball-handler. And even though the Mavericks' last game ended in a disappointing loss to the Sacramento Kings, the one positive takeaway was how Clayton Jr. played.

Against the Kings, the young guard led the Mavericks with 20 points on 67 percent shooting and shot 5-of-6 from the 3-point line in 24 minutes. Clayton also had an efficient 15 points in a win against the Miami Heat last week. These types of games, even in losses, are noteworthy, especially given how much the Mavs need shooting. While he is only on a two-way contract, Clayton is already showing signs of being the biggest steal of the season for Dallas.

Clayton is filling a big positional need for the Mavericks

The Mavericks' biggest hole on their roster is clearly at point guard. With the management of Kyrie Irving returning from an ACL tear, and the recent knee injury to Sergio De Larrea, the Mavs are in need of a ball handler who can set up the offense. And Clayton has been just that so far this season.

With Kyrie inevitably missing games, the Mavericks need to have some depth that can provide shooting and ball-handling at guard. Shooting a whopping 57 percent from three and being a player who can bring the ball up the floor and set up the offense, the former Grizzly has shown that he can be relied on to fill that need for the Mavs.

Mavs fans were excited about the signing of Walter Clayton Jr. when it happened, and he has quickly shown that he's deserving of a standard contract. The Mavericks didn't prioritize ball-handling as much as most people had hoped over the summer, but Clayton might just be a saving grace this season in regard to that, especially given his close relationship with coach Dusty May. If there are more games like the one against the Kings, this looks like the steal of the season for the Mavs.

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