The Boston Celtics are learning all about John Tonje as he became their latest two-way player just a few days ago in a trade with the Utah Jazz. Tonje most likely won't be thrown into an NBA game anytime soon; he's now firmly in the Celtics development pipeline, and Boston fans are trying to figure out just who exactly is John Tonje.
Robby Fletcher, a writer for CelticsBlog.com, wrote a deep dive into Tonje's game and his NBA readiness. He even dug into his Wisconsin game as "that was only a year ago." His overall assessment was that Tonje is an elite shooter, but his defense at the NBA level lags behind his scoring.
Did a crash-course film study for @celticsblog on Boston’s newest two-way wing: John Tonje. https://t.co/BoePHaqDnr
— Robby Fletcher (@RFletcher_VT) February 9, 2026
John Tonje is now part of one of the best development programs in the NBA
Related: EuroLeague heavyweights push Nigel Hayes-Davis toward historic payday
John Tonje's going to the Boston Celtics comes with some good and bad news. Most people like to start with the bad news first, as the good news will take the sting off the bad news. So, the bad news is that Tonje's path to the NBA may now take longer as the Celtics are a winning team looking for more championships. While the Jazz were/are in rebuilding mode, a two-way player can be thrown in at any time. The Celtics won't play with that sort of chaos.
The good news, Tonje is now part of one of the most notable development G-League teams. The Maine Celtics aren't just playing minor league basketball games; there is a desire to see each player work towards their NBA goals. Tonje is in good hands.
Fletcher gives good feedback that Maine will now work with Tonje on. He's probably already at NBA confidence and shooting, but he needs to improve his defense. "In his off-ball defense, Tonje often found himself just a beat too late in his reactions. Early in the game, he was caught ball-watching and lost his man, who nailed an open trey."
If there was one thing he didn't like about Tonje's offensive ability it was his tunnel vision, "On offense, tunnel vision on his drives ended in a few blocked shots and a first half without a field goal, but he was unrelenting in the second half, having more success in his drives into the paint."
Yet Fletcher concludes with a clear path for Tonje and hopefully one that won't take too long at all. "The man can score the rock, now we wait to see how it translates to his time in Maine, and possibly, Boston."
Tonje is in good hands in Boston, Wisconsin fans, and we will see him suit up eventually and find his name called as part of an NBA full-time roster.