Where John Tonje lands in final NBA mock drafts
Where is John Tonje projected to get drafted in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft?
The NBA Draft is a week away, and for Wisconsin basketball fans, we have something to look forward to for the first time since Johnny Davis was picked No. 10 overall by the Washington Wizards in 2022.
John Tonje may not be a lottery pick like Davis was, but his play for the Badgers last season put him firmly into the conversation to be drafted.
In his lone season as a Badger, Tonje played and started in all 37 games, averaging 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, all career highs. He was named All-Big Ten First-Team and was named to the AP All-American Second-Team.
Tonje was invited to the NBA combine, and he took advantage of his opportunity. In a 5-on-5 scrimmage, Tonje dropped 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He added seven rebounds and two assists.
Now, with a week before the NBA Draft kicks off, sports outlets are releasing the final versions of their mock drafts, and the former Wisconsin basketball star can be found in just about all of the major mock drafts.
ESPN - Round 2, Pick 42 - Sacramento Kings
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo combined to release a full two-round mock draft. The duo has Tonje going west to California, joining the Sacramento Kings.
On their 2024-25 depth chart, the Kings have DeMar DeRozan, Doug McDermott, and Isaiah Crawford as the lone small forwards on the roster. DeRozan will be entering the final year of his contract, but there are also questions as to whether the Kings will trade DeRozan for younger players in an attempt to rebuild to roster quickly.
The Kings could be a nice landing spot for Tonje to eventually work his way into the rotation.
The Athletic - Round 2, Pick 37 - Detroit Pistons
Sam Vecenie from The Athletic has Tonje going higher, landing in Detroit at pick No. 37 early in the second round. The Pistons are a young and gritty team led by Cade Cunningham. Last year’s No. 5 overall pick Ausar Thompson, is at the top of the depth chart at small forward, but there isn’t a whole lot of depth behind him.
While it may be tough for Tonje to crack the starting lineup, there is still a spot for him to crack the rotation in some capacity.
Bleacher Report - Round 2, Pick 58 - Cleveland Cavaliers
The lowest draft position I could find for Tonje is in Jonathan Wasserman’s mock on Bleacher Report. Wasserman has him dropping to pick No. 58, the second-to-last pick in the draft, right ahead of Michigan’s Vlad Goldin at No. 59.
According to RealGM.com, the Cavs’ starting small forward is Max Strus. There were no players directly behind him in the rotation. Emoni Bates and Luke Travers are the other small forwards on the roster.
This could be a sneaky-good fit for Tonje if he were to fall this far in the draft.
SI.com - Round 2, No. 39 - Toronto Raptors
Nick Crain of SI.com has Tonje going early in the second round to the Toronto Raptors.
If Tonje were to end up in Toronto, Tonje would be competing for minutes with Jamison Battle in that backup position at small forward. Ochai Agbaji is firmly in that starting position for the Raptors.
Generally, Wisconsin basketball fans can safely tune out the NBA Draft and not worry about missing where a Badger was drafted. But this year, there’s a real good chance we will hear Tonje’s name called.
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