The NBA chances for each Wisconsin Summer League player after a week in Vegas

With the 2026 NBA Summer League sadly winding up and officially coming to an end this Sunday, each team will be given one final game to perform. Along with that, each of the three former Wisconsin Badgers, Nick Boyd, John Tonje and Steven Crowl, will each be given one more opportunity to prove their worth.

However, the road ahead for each of them to making an NBA roster will not be easy. Even with a good final performance, each of them will still have to prove themselves throughout the offseason and into training camp if they wish to stick around come the NBA regular season.

John Tonje

Although his path isn't perfectly clear, Tonje easily has the cleanest chance of making it onto an NBA roster for the 2026-27 season. The former All-American and Badger standout has both had a stellar summer league thus far, averaging 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and shooting 46.2% from three. And he also arguably has the most advantageous roster situation in front of him as well.

The Boston Celtics currently have three open roster spots, one of which is a standard deal and the other two are two-ways. All but one of the Celtics' incoming rookie class has signed, with Dillon Mitchell being the lone player to still not cross some t's and dot some i's. However, even when he does, odds are Tonje will still be in a good spot to lock down a roster spot, whether it is a standard or two-way.

As for what he has to prove, the answer is, well, not much. Tonje has already shown that he can shoot the cover off the ball at high volume, along with giving great defensive effort at the point of attack. As long as he can continue to do those two things, along with being his typical self as an advantage creator, Tonje will have no problem landing on an NBA roster come fall.

Nick Boyd

Boyd’s path to the NBA floor is much foggier than Tonje’s. Although he has shown some very positive flashes thus far in summer league, the Golden State Warriors sadly don't have a roster spot for him, at least not one that he could likely grab. Currently, Golden State has two of its three two-way spots occupied, with the third all but guaranteed to end up in the hands of second-round pick Lajae Jones.

As a result, Boyd will likely have to scavenge the open market in hopes of locking down a spot. With that said, being a 25-year-old rookie and looking to lock down a spot on a team that isn't familiar with Boyd and hasn't had him in-house is nearly impossible. In all reality, Boyd’s best course of action would be to head overseas to a league like the NBL, where he could star in a higher-usage role and make more money than he would on a G League deal stateside. Nonetheless, it's going to be a stressful few months filled with some difficult decisions for Boyd.

Steven Crowl

It may sound harsh, but odds are Steven Crowl does not even end up on a training camp roster come the fall. Despite showing some positive two-way flashes in his limited summer league minutes, Crowl is just flat out not nuanced enough, nor young enough, to pique the interest of NBA front offices.

With that said, there is always hope. If Crowl can have himself a big final game in Las Vegas, in which he shows every facet of his game from rim protection, to high-post passing and even spacing the floor, there is a chance that a team takes a flyer on the former Wisconsin standout.

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