Portland’s perimeter attack ranks among the league's worst, but Wisconsin standout John Tonje offers elite efficiency and historic scoring potential to revive the Blazers’ struggling long-range offense.
The Portland Trail Blazers now have three players occupying their available two-way roster spots ... and one of them may be particularly well-suited to address the team's biggest weakness.
Portland recently signed John Tonje to a two-way contract, adding the former Wisconsin guard alongside Jayson Kent and Chris Youngblood.
Tonje has appeared in only six NBA games.
But the version of him that spent one season at Wisconsin could provide exactly what the Blazers have been missing.
Tonje averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds during the 2024-25 campaign while shooting 46.5% from the field, 38.8% from beyond the arc and 90.9% from the free-throw line.
That wasn't empty production.
He finished with 724 points, the second-most in a season in Wisconsin history, while becoming the first Division I player since Kemba Walker to score at least 30 points against three top-10 opponents in the same campaign.
Tonje also set a Wisconsin NCAA Tournament record with 37 points during the Badgers' loss to BYU.
His performance earned him consensus Second-Team All-American and unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
Portland could use that type of scoring.
More importantly ... it could use the shooting.
The Blazers made just 34.3% of their 3-point attempts last season, finishing ahead of only one NBA team.
They attempted 42.2 per game — but all that volume produced one of the league's least efficient perimeter attacks.
Tonje could at least help address that problem.
The 25-year-old averaged 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 43 G League appearances as a rookie while shooting 44% from the field. He also produced a 42-point performance for the Maine Celtics in March, making eight of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
Tonje eventually appeared in six games for Boston, averaging 2.5 points in seven minutes. He scored a career-high 13 points during the Celtics' regular-season finale.
That limited NBA experience still gives Portland something to evaluate.
Kent appeared in five games for the Blazers last season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.0 rebound. He was much more productive with the Rip City Remix, averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from three.
Youngblood has the most NBA experience of the group.
He appeared in 34 games between Oklahoma City and Portland, averaging 2.1 points in 5.4 minutes. Across 17 G League regular-season appearances with the Oklahoma City Blue and Rip City Remix, Youngblood averaged 23.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 32.7% from three.
Neither should be dismissed.
Kent's size and efficiency give him a path toward becoming a useful role player, while Youngblood has already demonstrated that he can produce at the developmental level.
Tonje's appeal comes from how closely his best skill aligns with Portland's most obvious deficiency.
His 38.8% shooting at Wisconsin would have ranked near the top of a Blazers roster that finished 29th from beyond the arc.
That alone doesn't guarantee him NBA minutes ... but it does give him a clear opportunity to earn them.
