2025 NBA Draft Scouting Report for Utah Jazz No. 53 Pick John Tonje
The Utah Jazz have selected John Tonje with the No. 53 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
One of the oldest players in this year’s class, Tonje played four years at Colorado State, one super-senior year at Missouri and then a super-super-senior year at Wisconsin, when he finally broke out.
After averaging 8.2 points over those first five seasons, Tonje put up 19.6 points per game in 2024-25, earning first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American honors.
What may make him most interesting as a pro is his shooting ability. Tonje made 2.3 threes per game this past season while shooting 38.8 percent from deep and 90.9 percent from the charity stripe.
Essential Facts and Stats
College: Wisconsin | Position: SG | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 212 | Age: 24 | Wingspan: 6’9" | PPG: 19.6 | RPG: 5.3 | APG: 1.8 | BPG: 0.2 | SPG: 0.7 | FG%: 46.5
Realistic Pro Comparison: Chris Duarte
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Tonje’s most obvious connection to Chris Duarte is his shooting ability, but their frames are similar as well. And at least in college, Duarte was also able to score inside the arc with timely drives.
Tonje is also entering the league a bit older than Duarte did, but the former spent two seasons in junior college. He also was billed as an experienced and steady potential catch-and-shoot threat.
Strengths
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Strength: Though he's not necessarily a bruiser, Tonje has good strength for his position. And perhaps more importantly, he knows how to leverage that strength to create advantages as a driver.
Shooting: With older players, you typically want to see big numbers in their earlier seasons. But shooting may be the exception. That skill is mostly learned, and once it is, it can be a real weapon. Tonje’s shooting marks were solid over his first five college seasons, but his 38.8 three-point percentage and 90.9 free-throw percentage in 2024-25 suggest he can make an impact as a floor-spacer.
Competitiveness: It may seem obvious, but simply competing on both ends of the floor is crucial for lower picks being able to carve out a role in the NBA. Tonje definitely checks that box.
Weaknesses
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Athleticism: Tonje isn’t necessarily a bad athlete, but he’s also not as explosive as many of the league’s rotation wings and guards. It could be tough for him to keep pace, particularly on defense.
Passing: One way to make up for a lack of pop as an athlete is with passing, but Tonje didn’t do a ton of that in college. His average of 1.8 assists as a senior isn’t dreadful, but it also doesn’t suggest he’s ready to make teammates better any time soon.
Age: This was already alluded to above, but Tonje failing to break out until most of his competition was younger than him is a real concern.
