LAS VEGAS -- It takes a very specific type of person to succeed in the NBA. There can't be any doubt. Whether you're Jayson Tatum or a guy scrapping and clawing in Summer League for an opportunity, you have to believe with every fiber of your being that you belong. That's John Tonje.
"I’m pretty confident. I'm pretty confident. Maybe even delusional. I can't lose that," Tonje said. "I think I'm an NBA player, and that's what I'm striving to get to and be at. So I like where I'm at right now, and just gonna keep working."
During a Celtics Summer League stint in which Hugo Gonzalez, Dillon Mitchell, and Chris Cenac Jr. stole most of the headlines, Tonje was right there alongside them. Tonje, who ended last season on a two-way in Boston, was one of the best players on the court in Las Vegas.
His jump shot was clean (he shot 14-of-31, or 45.2%, from deep in Vegas). His shot creation was essential to Boston's success. And he never stopped hustling. But above all else, the defense stood out. That's what he's been working on this summer.
“I think everyone wanted to see the defense from John, and I think he showed that at a super high level," Amile Jefferson said. "I've talked the entire week about how proud I am with the effort he's given, and most of that has come defensively. Obviously, he is a high-level shot-maker at all three levels. He can get to the rim, he can shoot the mid-range, and he can catch and shoot the three and off the dribble. And so, you just want to see, for his position, can you guard the ball? Can you pressure the ball? Can you be in your shifts? Can you be where you need to be? And I think he showed that he can do that at a high level.”
Coming in, Tonje knew that's where he had to shine. He's been a shot-maker his entire basketball career, but if he wants to take his game to the next level, he needed to improve on defense. And he credited Celtics player development coach Nana Foulland for his help.
"Defensively, I gotta give a special shoutout to a coach named Nana, who's actually standing right here in front of me," Tonje said with a smile as Foulland looked on, standing alongside the reporters in Vegas. "All summer, we've been focused, trying to get better and working on weaknesses, and he hasn't been afraid to tell me what I need to get better at. We just really got after it this summer, and I think it showed a little bit in summer league."
The defense wasn't perfect. When the wrong matchup came his way, Tonje got blown by. He failed to fight through screens in the pick-and-roll. Opposing teams were able to beat him at times. But at the end of the day, that's not the most important thing.
Tonje never stopped trying. That was more apparent than any slip-up or blow-by he gave up. He picked up full-court. He left every ounce of energy he had on the floor. That's the reason he was a highlight of Boston's Summer League run.
It would be easy for a guy like Tonje to rest on his laurels on his best skills. He can shoot the ball. He's a great shot-creator. That's who he was at Wisconsin before making the leap to the NBA. Plenty of guys get to Summer League and beyond without legitimately trying to address their weaknesses. That mindset isn't a given.
"It takes a growth mindset, and it takes a willingness, and a real effort to do," Jefferson said. "And you have to tell yourself, like, 'This is who I'm going to be.' And you got to push yourself to limits that maybe you haven't done before, and then you see where you're at after that. And I think he did a great job of just trying hard. And that's a skill, and it's something that you can learn. It's something that you want to say everybody can do, but it takes a real will and effort and want to [do]. And I thought he really wanted to this week, and you can tell that it meant a lot to him.”
The harsh reality of life is that there likely isn't a role in the league for Tonje to be a top-scoring option. Maybe not even a top-five scoring option. Maybe not top-eight. That's exactly why Tonje was willing to throw himself into shortcomings.
"Just finding a way to stay on the floor," Tonje said. "If you can score, it's great. But a lot of teams have the best scores on planet Earth, so I got to find other ways that impact the game, and I'm just trying to find those other ways."
Tonje is 25 years old. His game is far from perfect. There is a reason he's still playing Summer League. A reason he was on a two-way contract last year and didn't earn a standard deal this summer. But the want is there.
It would be easy to assume that every single player in the NBA wants to get better. But in reality, that's simply not the case. As Jefferson said, it's a skill. A skill the Celtics value very highly.
Boston has some flexibility with its two-way heading into the latter portion of the summer. Amari Williams has one right now, and guys like Mitchell and Milos Uzan have made a case for theirs. But when you combine the familiarity Tonje already has with the organization with his incessant desire to improve, it's hard not to believe he deserves another spot with next year's team.
On Saturday, Tonje only played 19:04, but he finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists while shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep range. He showed off every part of his game.
Tonje can shoot, he can create a little bit, and the defensive hustle is ever-present. He's not going to play rotation minutes next year for the Celtics. He may spend the entire season in the G League. But he's the type of guy Boston should want to keep in its orbit. If nothing else, he proved that at Summer League.
© Kirby Lee
Caleb Grill
Caleb Grill's big day
In the Celtics' final Summer League game on Saturday afternoon, most of the top dogs didn't play. Gonzalez, Cenac, and Mitchell all rocked up in street clothes, and Boston doled out playing time to every available player.
For all intents and purposes, it was a G League tryout. A chance for the Celtics -- and every other team that had scouts and executives in the stands watching -- to see what players could fill out their G League pool.
Uzan and Tonje separated themselves from that pack. They look more like