John Tonje: The Elder Statesman
Tonje spent six years in college, but really popped in his final one. Will his scoring punch and efficiency entice NBA teams or will his age scare them off?
Although his father played for the Cameroonian national soccer team, John Tonje fell in love with the game of basketball at a young age in Omaha, Nebraska. Everyday he walked to the park and tried to emulate Derrick Rose for hours on end. Tonje excelled in high school, but wasn’t a highly touted recruit by any means. Eventually, he signed with Colorado State. In his first three years there he didn’t make too much of an impact, but he started all of his games in his fourth year and his numbers took a huge leap across the board. Tonje eventually ended up at Wisconsin for his sixth year and became one of the best scorers in the country. He led the Badgers to a stellar season that ended in a heartbreaking tournament loss to BYU. Let’s take a look at what Tonje can bring to an NBA squad.
Basic Stats (2024-2025): 31.1 MPG, 19.6 PPG, 1.8 APG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.8 T/O, 46.5% FG%
Pros:
A true 3 level scorer
Can get to all his spots with ease and looks comfortable from everywhere on the court
Can score off well off the dribble, off screens, off a catch, and going downhill
Hyper Efficient while being relied on heavily
His 65.7% true shooting percentage is in the 98th percentile
Averages 20 PPG and is 80th percentile and above in three point and two point percentage
Has a 27.8% usage rate which is in the 94th percentile for his position
Can get defenses in foul trouble
Averages almost 7 free throw attempts per game, which is in the 99th percentile
Draws 4.7 fouls per game which is in the 98th percentile
Shoots 91% from the free throw line which shows he converts his chances
Takes good quality shots and is always hunting for more
Always plays aggressively and looks for his shot, rarely letting defenses off the hook
His shot quality is 0.96 Points per possession which is an extremely high mark
He surpasses that high mark by scoring at 1.12 points per possession, 96th percentile
Great rebounder for his size and position
Averages 4.5 defensive rebounds per game, 97th percentile
His knack for rebounding allows him to push in transition and translates into easy buckets for him or his teammates
Has an NBA ready mentality slots in seamlessly as a two guard
His strength and balance will allow him to continue to score over NBA level defenders
His patience, poise, and confidence throughout games will likely translate well to the next level
Cons:
Not the most active defensively or gifted physically
Ranks in the 21st percentile for steal percentage and 50th for block percentage
Can get flat footed at times and often reacts late when defending on ball
His shorter wingspan will be a problem for him defensively at the next level
Often misses opportunities to pass to open teammates
Due to his score first nature he often gets caught up in trying to hunt for his shot and only passes out when it’s not there
Averages less than 2 assist per game and his 11.9% assist percentage is in the 45th percentile
His Assist to Turnover ratio is also less than 1, which is not a great sign, but he only turns the ball over 1.8 times per game which is really low for someone with his high usage
Final Take: Tonje is a bit old for his class at 23, but he has an NBA ready offensive game and is an absurdly efficient three level scorer who should be able to impact the game in some way at the next level. He will need to improve defensively, and he might need to adjust to playing off the ball. With that said, he’s definitely worthy of being drafted, and depending on the team he’s drafted by he will be a good NBA role player.
Draft Projection: Late Second Round/Undrafted
Player Comp: Eric Gordon/Bojan Bogdanovic