Florida's Zyon Pullin, Walter Clayton Jr. set for G League Elite Camp
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This past season, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin became Florida’s first backcourt duo to earn All-SEC honors in 11 years. They will now showcase their skills in front of NBA coaches and front-office officials.
The two draft prospects will participate in the G League Elite Camp from May 11-12 in Chicago. Clayton was among the first 44 players announced on Saturday and Pullin received an invite to the camp on Monday night.
Pullin is a grad transfer prospect, while Clayton entered the draft as a junior and maintained his college eligibility. Neither player received an invitation to the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, but they can still play their way into it.
The G League Elite Camp is composed of players not invited to the combine. They will scrimmage for two days and at least a half dozen players will move on to the NBA Draft Combine, which is also held in Chicago from May 12-19.
Clayton and Pullin were part of the 2023 transfer class and helped produce UF’s highest-scoring season in program history, first NCAA Tournament in three years, best regular season record since 2016-17 and first SEC Tournament final since 2014.
Pullin led the charge with a school-record 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best by an SEC player this century. He became Florida’s first point guard to earn first-team All-SEC honors since 2018 (Chris Chiozza).
“It was special,” Pullin said of his lone year with the Gators. “I appreciate this coaching staff and these players for embracing me. The season didn’t finish the way we anticipated, but I can’t be more thankful to put this jersey on.”
Clayton was a top-five scorer in the SEC at 17.6 PPG and his 633 points for the year ranks No. 5 in school history. He made some memorable shots during the season, including a 3-pointer to force overtime in the win at Kentucky.
“It means a lot,” Clayton said of this season. “I hope it means a lot to everybody. I think it does. Just coming back and trying to build something here. This is kind of a stepping stone to keep on moving forward.”
Senior forward Tyrese Samuel and junior guard Will Richard are also NBA prospects for Florida. Like Clayton, Richard entered the draft and maintained his eligibility. The NCAA early entry withdrawal date is May 29, and the 2024 NBA Draft will be June 26-27.
