The Los Angeles Lakers are set to have an eventful offseason. Center is the team’s biggest need, but they could use more depth across the roster.

The team only has one second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it’s not until pick No. 55. That said, the Lakers have been surprisingly good at finding NBA talent in the second round. Six of their last seven second-round picks are still on NBA rosters.

That means that general manager Rob Pelinka will take his second-round pick very seriously this year. There aren’t going to be many exciting options. Though there should be some interesting big men on the board when the Lakers select, there could be an interesting guard they don’t want to pass up on.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report projected that Los Angeles will take former Wisconsin guard John Tonje with the No. 55 pick in his latest mock draft.

“After four years at Colorado State and one with Missouri, John Tonje put himself in the draft discussion by averaging 19.6 points for Wisconsin,” Wasserman wrote. “He made 85 threes and 231 free throws (90.9 percent FT), as Tonje’s shotmaking and physical driving ability have become worth looking into for teams in the late second round.”

Tonje Talks NBA Combine

There’s no guarantee Tonje will get drafted. He’s already 24 and spent six years in college, so his upside is limited.

The pre-draft process is very important for players like Tonje. He may not be on a lot of teams’ radars, but a strong showing in front of scouts could help him a lot. He had a chance to participate at the NBA combine, and he was very happy with his experience.

“Man, it was amazing,” Tonje said of the combine, via Badgernotes. “It was a blessing to be out there and see all the people I grew up seeing on TV and seeing some of the other college athletes so it was fun to compete and all the drills, get to go through everything. That was my first time doing everything, so it was just kind of fresh and new to see everything that goes into the draft. I was excited to be there.”

Tonje Hoping to Keep Improving

Tonje was not a notable name before last season. He had one season where he averaged over 10 points a game.

He improved greatly in his first year at Wisconsin. He averaged 19.6 points a game and was named a consensus second-team All-American. He also hit 38.8% of his 3-point shots.

Tonje has shown that he can improve, and he’s really hoping to continue that.

“I think it’s just a steady improvement every day,” Tonje said. “I love the game, I love to get better, and I love to compete and win. I’m someone that can see myself getting better and continue to grow. I love the game, so I think the sky’s the limit.”

The Lakers could use more shooting, so if Tonje’s shooting translates to the NBA level, he could be an interesting player to take a flyer on.

There’s little risk with the No. 55 pick.