Dusty May Calls Walter Clayton Jr. ‘Cold-Blooded’ After His Breakout Night In Miami
DALLAS — Mavericks coach Dusty May said before Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that he checked whether Walter Clayton Jr. was ready to play early in Monday’s win at the Miami Heat, and that the look he got back answered the question.
Clayton scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-109 win. Dallas outscored Miami by 22 points with him on the floor, and he scored 7 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Rookie Sergio De Larrea left that game early in the second quarter with a right knee injury, and Marcus Sasser did not play after halftime. May said Sasser had a small ailment.
“It was early in the game and just the first couple minutes you try to get a feel for each guy. And we have a team that’s so deep now. But with Sergio out, Sass didn’t look like he had his burst. And he had a small ailment. And so I asked Walt a couple minutes into the game, are you going to be ready to go tonight? And he just kind of looked at me like, you really need to ask?” May said. “And so that gave me even greater confidence.”
Dusty May On Walter Clayton Jr.’s Poise
Clayton led Florida to the 2025 national championship and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. May said he has seen Clayton play enough to trust him in big moments.
“What gave me confidence is just I’ve seen him play so much. I mean, he’s cold-blooded. I mean, he’s unfazed, whether he plays, he’s kind of like Sass, where he’s unfazed,” May explained. “But if you remember him in the Final Four that season, I mean, he just made big play after big play in the toughest of environments.”
Clayton checked in for the first time with 5:58 left in the first half Monday and played 11 minutes, 15 seconds after halftime. He also blocked a Bobby Portis Jr. layup with 7:55 left.
“But I just thought he made the right plays. I thought they went at him a couple times and he held his own on the defensive end, and then offensively he’s just such a poised, gifted player. There’s never a time when the ball’s in his hands and I’m worried about this or worried about that,” May said. “He’s a great decision-maker and then obviously a shot-making ability. The game looks a lot different if he’s not banging in those shots … so he adds a lot to this team.”
Clayton’s Path To Dallas
Dallas signed Clayton to a two-way contract Oct. 21, two days after the Memphis Grizzlies waived him. He was the 18th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and spent his rookie season with the Utah Jazz and Memphis.
After Monday’s game, Cooper Flagg pointed out that Clayton had also played in the stay-ready game after shootaround that morning.
“It was great, Walt was great,” Flagg said Monday. “Obviously he hasn’t been with us for very long, but for him to just step up tonight, 6-of-7 from the field, but I thought just his intensity and the way, I mean, plus-22, like for him to go out there and just play really, really hard and unselfish basketball and just really give to the team in every single way. I thought it was a really big step for our team.”
Dallas (2-2) hosts the 4-0 Thunder at 8:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center.
