Mar 15, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje (9) shoots the ball while Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft ceiling, floor and average outcome of this Wisconsin Badgers All-American

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Cam Wilhorn | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 7:34 AM ET

The University of Wisconsin men's basketball program could have its first NBA Draft selection since Johnny Davis in 2022 and second Badgers player since teammates Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were both chosen in the first round in 2015.

We're 24 hours away from the first round of the NBA Draft, which will be televised Wednesday at 7 p.m CT on ABC and ESPN, but Wisconsin star John Tonje will likely have to wait until Thursday's second round to hear his name called.

Tonje spent just one season in Madison, but he delivered one of the greatest individual campaigns in school history. He trailed only Kaminsky for the Badgers' highest-scoring season, compiling 724 points across 37 games (19.6 points per game). He earned second-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors.

A big week for @johntonje1! pic.twitter.com/rSoCbMHAgJ
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) June 24, 2025

Despite the accolades, Tonje isn't expected to be a first-round pick and could even fall to the back end of the second round. At age 24, the Omaha, Nebraska native is one of the oldest prospects in the draft, and there are question marks about how his bully-ball play style will translate to the NBA.

Wisconsin Badgers On SI evaluated NBA Draft big boards from Tankathon.com, NBADraftRoom.com, CBS Sports, ESPN and Sporting News. All five outlets had Tonje ranked between the 42nd and 50th best prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft. ESPN gave Tonje the highest designation, while NBA Draft Room had him lowest.

That range squarely puts Tonje in the middle of the second-round picks, a grouping that often includes other college standouts like Florida's Alijah Martin, Villanova's Eric Dixon and Tennessee's Chaz Lanier.

On the mock draft side, there's a slightly larger range of outcomes for Tonje.

Tonje was picked as high as No. 42 and as low as No. 52 when surveying mock drafts from ESPN, For the Win, Fansided, NBADraftRoom.com and the Athletic,

There was one theme that prevailed amongst teams projected to take Tonje: They're all trying to win games in 2025-26.

The 42nd pick is owned by the Sacramento Kings and the 52nd by the Phoenix Suns. While both may not be close to a championship, Sacramento is looking to add pieces to a strong core while Phoenix is hoping to make the best of a bad situation while owning very little of its future draft capital.

The other three teams predicted to select Tonje – the Cleveland Cavaliers (pick 44),
the Oklahoma City Thunder (49) and the Los Angeles Clippers (51) – are squarely in the championship-contending conversation.

It's clear that teams value Tonje's ability to help a team win, especially early in his career, but they may have concerns about his NBA ceiling. It's for that reason why Tonje is projected to go deep into the second round despite being one of the best college players a season ago. But as the NBA continues to have teams with excellent depth go far in the playoffs, pro-ready prospects like Tonje should see their value rise.