Former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje was a major standout from Thursday’s 5-on-5 scrimmage at the NBA combine.
The NBA hopeful tallied 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, plus seven rebounds and two assists, in 27 minutes of action. That point total tied former Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako for the most on the team. Notably, it marked a major step forward from the former Badger’s three points, four rebounds and one assist in the combine’s first scrimmage on Wednesday.
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Tonje’s strong performance continues to back up his terrific 2024-25 campaign as Wisconsin’s top option. While some questions exist surrounding how his 19.6 points per game, 46.5% shooting from the floor and 39% 3-point shooting will translate to the NBA level, the 6-foot-5 wing’s NBA combine showing is working to put those to rest.
Mock drafts reflect that standing. Tonje goes off the board in the low 40s in most post-lottery draft projections, those released before the latest combine scrimmage results. Overall, his stock has risen enough to even bring a late-first-round selection into play.
Badger fans saw Tonje’s impact firsthand this past season. His emergence into an All-Big Ten and All-American-caliber player led the team to a 27-win campaign, including big triumphs over Arizona, Purdue, Illinois, UCLA and Michigan State. Even in the team’s season-ending loss to BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Tonje was unstoppable, totaling 37 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
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Stay tuned for where the former Wisconsin star trends in updated post-combine mock drafts. An early-second-round selection is quickly becoming the expectation.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball John Tonje NBA combine scrimmage stats
