A hectic season for the redshirt-turned-starter.
As we continue player reviews for Northwestern men’s basketball, next up on our list is none other than Jordan Clayton. The sophomore guard had one of the more unexpected seasons in college basketball this year, but how can we chalk up his performance on the whole?
The Good
The best part of Clayton’s season is an obvious one: his commitment. After receiving some playing time as a freshman, many fans hoped to see his role increase in his second season. Clayton’s main issue in Year One was his confidence, especially on the offensive end as a shooter where he was mostly a liability last season. But the additions of graduate transfer Jalen Leach and incoming freshmen KJ Windham and Angelo Ciaravino into the guard rotation quickly put Clayton on the back-burner. As a result, his decision was to sit out the year and redshirt, with no well-defined role for him on head coach Chris Collins’ roster.
But as we all know, that guard rotation thinned out quick when disaster struck in the form of the injury bug. When Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach went down with subsequent season-ending injuries, a once-packed guard room suddenly felt emptier than ever before. That’s where J-Clay stepped up. In early February, the Massachusetts native announced that he would be burning his redshirt — thus losing the year of eligibility he was retaining by not playing up to this point — in order to shore up the severe lack of depth and absence of a true point guard from the rotation.
After missing the first 23 games of year, Clayton would start all final 10 games of the season, averaging 4.7 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game on nearly 21 minutes a night. Although his shooting numbers weren’t ideal — 35% from the field and 28% from three — Clayton was unrecognizable from his freshman self that often looked scared to have the ball in his hands.
The Bad
Clayton’s return to the lineup provided a huge boost in both functionality and morale to a team that looked physically and mentally depleted after the pair of injuries it experienced midway through Big Ten play. But even despite Clayton’s help to Collins and extremely selfless decision, his growth from his freshman to sophomore season still left plenty to be desired.
Few were upset with Clayton in his first year with the team. Even though he looked the part of a young, inexperienced guard in a unforgiving Big Ten conference, he had Boo Buie by his side for the toughest moments of the game. With no Boo this year, though, Clayton was going to have to be not just more of a leader, but more efficient on the court.
And while his defense continued to impress at many times this season, he still never fully looked comfortable on the offensive end, with ineffective shooting splits and miniscule role not being enough to replace the huge hole left by Jalen Leach’s 14 points per contest. Even after an entire offseason devoted to improving his shot and being a more effective scorer, Clayton has yet to make the full leap that many hoped he would by this point.
Bottom Line
Clayton’s decision to rejoin the team amidst injuries — despite having previously committed to a redshirt season — is one of the most unselfish stories in all of college basketball, especially in the NIL era, where most players have a “me first” mentality. His commitment and devotion to the team not only indicate his maturity and personality, but also symbolize the culture Collins has created at Northwestern.
“Those are my guys. I would do anything for them,” Clayton said. “To me, it’s bigger than basketball.”
Yes, Clayton still has a ways to go before fans come to fully appreciate his impact on this team. Now entering his upperclassmen years, he won’t get away with just being a pass-first point guard who calls sets and lets them happen while focusing on the defensive end. In a Big Ten conference that seems to get more competitive by the year, Clayton’s loyalty to the program will need to pay off in a bigger way, as someone who is a serious threat from three-point land and can find a bucket when NU needs it.
With a plethora of new transfers and freshman joining the team this coming season, Clayton is the exact type of glue guy Collins and Co. need. Having a guy like Clayton to ground the team and help foster a culture will be indispensable for the Wildcats as they attempt to get back to the coveted NCAA Tournament.