The first day of scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine was pretty underwhelming for John Tonje. He finished the game with three points, four rebounds, an assist, two fouls, and two turnovers. It wasn't his best performance but there were still a few things to like about it.
Today, however, Tonje was a lot more impressive both on the court and on the stat sheet. He tied with Mackenzie Mgbako as his team's leading scorer. He also followed Mgbako as the second-leading rebounding. His stat line was pretty impressive on the day, with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Tonje did it on 8 of 15 from the floor, which isn't overwhelming but is 53.3% FG. Maybe the part that wasn't as great, at least on the stat sheet, was that he went 1-5 from 3-point. However, his stroke looked good and he was shooting with confidence, they simply weren't falling.
Since he was one of the best shooters in the combine shooting drills, NBA scouts won't be much concerned about that 1-5 number. He is an efficient and effective shooter from all over the floor.
John Tonje shines with team leading 17 points in NBA Combine Day 2 Scrimmage
The 17 points for Tonje is a big bounce back from the previous day when he only had three points. It's almost like he needed to settle into the scrimmages and find his feet before he was able to be his regular self. One of the big assets that Tonje brings to a team is his ability to create his own shot and even take over games.
If there is a knock on Tonje at the NBA level, it is that he only has one year of stats to showcase. His one year at Wisconsin is the only tape he can really put on for scouts. He was pretty good at Colorado State, but in his proof-it season at Missouri, he got injured. That injury year allowed him to play one more year at Wisconsin, where he shined.
The other knock that the NBA scouts will have to think about with Tonje is that he is older than many draftees. He doesn't have the same luxury of having years to develop as some of the younger players in the NBA Draft. However, whoever decides to pull the trigger on Tonje will be pleased they did.