The Maine Celtics didn't get either win in John Tonje's two-game debut against the Motor City Cruise, but everyone walked away impressed with the newly acquired two-way Celtic. Tonje had an incredible stat line in the second game, showing he may be closer to the NBA than many Boston fans initially thought. He led all scorers with 29 points, added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
He really wowed fans when he single-handedly tried to will the Celtics back into the game with 18 points in the second half. He seemed to find a second gear to elevate his whole team. Tonje is showing why the Celtics not only included him in the trade but also want to spend valuable resources developing him.
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— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) February 12, 2026
John Tonje has played two games for the Maine Celtics and is alredy proving his worth
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In his first game debut, he started the turning of heads. Tonje was just getting settled in with his new team, and yet, he was the third leading scorer in the game behind Motor City's Wendell Moore Jr. (30) and the Celtics' Amari Williams (29). Tonje finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Thus, in two games, Tonje has already scored 50 points and looks every bit the part of a top-notch two-way player in the NBA. The former Badger has always had a knack for scoring points, and for the Jazz, he was averaging nearly 18 points a game. Through two with the Celtics, he's averaging 25 points a game.
The G-League stats mostly go unnoticed by NBA fans as the publicity is low and fans are relatively disengaged, but the NBA personnel are keeping tabs and may be finding some playing time for Tonje down the road.