Walter Clayton Jr. is day-to-day with a right knee injury and will not play in Sunday's Summer League championship game against the Warriors, according to Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian. The Grizzlies now head toward their regular-season opener at the Hawks on Oct. 5 without clarity yet on his status for that game.
What happened
Walter Clayton Jr. appeared on the Grizzlies' injury report Sunday at 4:32 a.m. ET, listed day-to-day with a right knee issue and no previous status on record. Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian reported that Clayton will not play in Sunday's Summer League title game against the Warriors. The report lists an expected return date of Oct. 1. No further detail on how the knee issue occurred is included in the report.
What it means for the Grizzlies
Memphis opens the 2026-27 season on the road against the Hawks on Monday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET, and Clayton's listed expected return of Oct. 1 would put him ahead of that opener if the recovery holds. Last season Clayton averaged 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 20.4 minutes across 69 games. The Grizzlies have not played a regular-season game yet, so there is no record to cite with or without him. In minutes logged without Clayton, Ja Morant has played 28.4 minutes with 19.4 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. 30.7 minutes with 19.2 points, and Santi Aldama 27.9 minutes with 14.0 points, among others absorbing his workload.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Clayton's right knee has cleared him for practice as training camp approaches. His expected return date of Oct. 1 falls four days before Memphis opens the season at the Hawks on Monday, Oct. 5. Any change to his day-to-day designation between now and then would bear directly on his availability for that opener.
Is Walter Clayton Jr. playing at Hawks on Mon, Oct 5?
His status for that game has not been addressed. He is day-to-day with a right knee injury and is out of Sunday's Summer League title game against the Warriors, with a listed expected return date of Oct. 1, four days before the Hawks game.
When will Walter Clayton Jr. be back?
The injury report lists an expected return date of Oct. 1, 2026.