Overview
Born in Nebraska, Tonje joined Colorado State as a three-star recruit in 2019. He played off the bench in each of his first three seasons, notably scoring 31 points in his first game as a junior. That season, the Rams made the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round. Tonje moved into the starting lineup as a senior, averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game, but the Rams finished 15-18. Due to the COVID-19 rules, Tonje earned a fifth season of eligibility and transferred to Missouri, but he played only eight games for the Tigers in 2023-24 before a season-ending foot injury. He was granted a medical sixth year and ultimately joined Wisconsin after initially committing to New Mexico. Tonje’s decision paid off, as he quickly became a household name and in his fourth game of the season, Tonje exploded for 41 points, including a school record 21 made free throws, en route to an upset win over Arizona. The Badgers lost to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and were upset by BYU in the second round of the NCAA tournament. However, Tonje ended his collegiate career with a 37-point effort against the Cougars. In 2024-25, Tonje averaged 19.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.8 apg while posting 47/39/91 shooting splits en route to Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
Analysis
Tonje was an efficient, three-level scorer at Wisconsin, using his size, athleticism and advanced skill to get wherever he wanted on the court. In the NBA, Tonje must focus his skill set and develop an elite trait, which is likely his 3-point shooting. He shot 38.8% on 3-pointers and 90.9% on free throws (on 6.9 free-throw attempts per game) in 2024-25.
Projection
Tonje’s game in college was similar to Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (6-foot-3, 215 pounds). However, when projecting Tonje at the NBA level, Chicago’s Talen Horton-Tucker, who’s had flashes of strong production in his career, is a more apt comparison. Tonje’s clearest path to consistent NBA minutes would be embracing a 3-and-D role like Cleveland’s Max Strus (6-foot-5, 215 pounds).
— Profile by RotoWire.com