Where Wisconsin star John Tonje lands in CBS' latest NBA draft top 100 player ranking
"It was just a surreal year, and I learned so much from playing with the Badgers."Former @BadgerMBB star John Tonje stopped by the studio to discuss his future and memorable season in Madison.#B1GMBBall x @johntonje1 pic.twitter.com/tReClYscnE
Wisconsin basketball star wing John Tonje is likely to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA draft later this week.
Notably, ESPN's latest mock draft recently slotted the now-former Badger No. 42 overall to the Sacramento Kings. CBSSports forecasts a similar pick range -- it has Tonje at No. 44 in its current ranking of the draft's top 100 prospects.
The sixth-year senior averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Badgers in 2024-25. He reached that point total on 46.5% shooting from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. Those tallies earned him First-Team All-America honors from the Wooden Award, a Second-Team All-America selection from nearly every other outlet and a consensus First-Team All-Big Ten selection.
There is a question of how Tonje's top-end college production will translate to the NBA level, especially at his older age of 24. Enough NBA teams seem sold on that translation, as the 6-foot-5 wing's draft stock has steadily improved since the season's conclusion. His strong NBA combine performance and several notable workouts played major roles.
Tonje is likely to hear his name called on Day 2 of the NBA draft on Friday. When he does, he'll become the first Badger selected since Johnny Davis went No. 10 overall to the Washington Wizards in 2022, and the second since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker each went in the first round in 2015.
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