The Utah Jazz had a great draft last night, swinging on Ace Bailey and trading up for Walter Clayton Jr. The Jazz were not done yet; they had one more pick on the board, pick 53, with which they selected a 6’5 guard/wing who can potentially be a plug-and-play guy for the Jazz in the years to come!

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With the 53rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz quietly added one of the more polished, plug-and-play wings in the class: John Tonje. A guard with a strong frame and 6 years of college basketball under his belt, Tonje doesn’t flash the wild upside of some second-rounders, but he is consistent and efficient.

Tonje can shoot the peel off the basketball, plain and simple. He hit nearly 39% from three this past season at Wisconsin and over 90% at the free-throw line. The form is clean, repeatable, and quick off the catch. He thrives as an off-ball mover, staying active in empty-side actions and relocation sets, and he is the type of guy who can slide into a second unit very nicely with how well he can scale up or down offensively. He also has the ability to score with the basketball in his hands, and at his size, that makes him quite valuable for his position.

Defensively, Tonje needs a little bit of work. He is not an elite on-ball stopper, but he competes, rotates, and uses his girthy frame to absorb contact. He rebounds very well, and he understands team concepts, which shouldn’t be a surprise as a 6-year college vet.

John Tonje’s road to the NBA had a hiccup. After transferring to Missouri in 2023-24, a nagging foot injury from the offseason never fully healed. He played just eight games before shutting it down and taking a medical redshirt. Instead of fading out, Tonje bounced back. He transferred to Wisconsin, got healthy, and went off, averaging nearly 20 PPG and over 5 RPG on 46/38/91 shooting splits. That comeback year put him back on the map and helped earn him a shot with the Jazz at pick 53.

He won’t likely be a high-usage player or creator, but that’s not the role he is being asked to fill. For the Jazz, Tonje looks like a bet on maturity, shooting, size, and basketball IQ. In a crowded rotation, he will have to earn his keep, but his skill set gives him the chance to crack the rotation one way or another.

If he sticks, it will be because he makes shots, is smart with the basketball, and doesn’t take away from other teammates.