According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed John Tonje to a two-way contract. Tonje spent last year with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics, mostly playing for the team’s G League affiliates. This summer, he played with the Celtics’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas, and he looks like the perfect guy for Portland to take a chance on.
I spent Summer League watching Tonje in Vegas. I’m primarily a Celtics reporter, and I do some freelance writing on the side, so I literally had a front-row seat to the Tonje show all summer. And let me say: This is a guy you want playing for your organization.
For Portland – a team that could use an infusion of three-point shooting – Tonje is an ideal guy to begin developing.
The Blazers are smart to take a chance on John Tonje
Throughout most of the regular season, Tonje didn’t get the chance to show much. He joined the Celtics at the trade deadline via the Chris Boucher deal, and his 10-day was integral to Boston’s plan to duck the luxury tax.
He played well in Maine, but he didn’t earn many opportunities in Boston. But in Vegas, he flipped a switch. Tonje was one of the most impactful players on the Celtics’ Summer League roster.
In his five appearances in Las Vegas, Tonje played 24.2 minutes per contest (the fourth-most on the team). He averaged 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.0% from the floor and 45.2% from deep on 6.2 three-point attempts per contest.
At his core, Tonje is a bucket-getter. A shot creator. But in Vegas, he flashed his floor-spacing and his hustle. He shot lights-out from deep range, and though he wasn’t perfect on defense, his effort was more than enough to keep him competitive on that side of the ball.
Last year, the Blazers were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA. Yes, they’ll be getting back Damian Lillard, but they also added Ja Morant.
Tonje is a guy who could step in and knock down threes from beyond the arc. He can hold his own on defense, and there’s a world in which he improves to the point of being a plus defender.
He’s already 25 years old (and turned 26 in August), but he seems like the type of guy who could be a late bloomer. A guy who comes onto the scene late as an end-of-rotation guy for a solid team.
Portland was right to take a chance on Tonje. He has the skills, the hustle, and the mindset to make it work in the NBA.
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