Get to Know Chris Cenac Jr.: Adam's Boston Celtics Draft Reaction

Chris Cenac Jr. is drafted by the Boston Celtics.

introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! The NBA season ended just about two weeks ago as the New York Knicks ended their 53 year title drought. Being a Celtics fan this was hard to digest if I am being completely honest, although at the end of the day New York played like champions and you have to give them their credit.

For the Boston Celtics they have not played in more than 50 days and for me this seems like forever. Keeping up with this team daily is something I enjoy doing. Whether it be watching the "How 'Bout Them Celtics" podcast daily on YouTube, watching old 10 minute condensed games from previous years on NBA League Pass, or collecting Jayson Tatum cards, I love it all.

With this said I could not wait until the draft as we finally have some sort of action... aside from the Jaylen Brown trade rumors which is a completely different topic for another time.

Going into this 2026 draft I dove more into the prospects over the last few weeks leading up to the event than I had in previous years. Being prepared for anything was the motto I stuck to as I did not want to be scratching my head when commissioner Adam Silver read off the name selected at pick 27 on draft night like last year when we selected Hugo Gonzalez in Round 1. Celtics fans alike were saying to themselves "who is this guy?"

Below are my reactions, thoughts, and overall analysis on Celtics first round draft pick Chris Cenac Jr. I hope you all enjoy reading my article!

Pick 27. This was where the 18-time champion Boston Celtics would be picking from in the 2026 NBA Draft held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The 2026 draft class is a very impressive class of talent, one of the deeper classes maybe ever. Focusing on where the Celtics would pick I did not watch any film of the prospects that were projected inside the top 15 because I knew there was a good chance they would be gone at our turn. Watching film of about 10-15 prospects leading up to the draft I definitely had more players I liked than I disliked which was a good thing.

Boston needed better interior players leading me to watch film on guys like Tarris Reed Jr., Joshua Jefferson, and Zuby Ejiofor. These three players were at the top of my draft list... if I could only tell Brad Stevens... haha.

Whether it was Jefferson's outstanding playmaking and passing ability for a forward, Reed's presence inside the arc, or Zuby's knack to block shots off the backboard and make an impact offensively, they all stood out. All three were similar in that they all had multiple years of college experience and would most likely make an impact in the rotation sooner rather than later. Looking at mock drafts over and over and over again these were the guys who were projected to end up in Beantown. Henri Veesaar the center out of North Carolina who I did not like at all due to his defensive limitations was the other big that was mocked repeatedly to Boston. Well safe to say that all of my research went down the drain... which necessarily is not a bad thing.

Chris Cenac Jr... The Celtic:

Let me start by typing that I have not been so excited in quite some time for a late first-round pick like this one. Not having looked at hardly any Chris Cenac Jr. tape prior to the draft due to him being projected to go anywhere from picks 19-23 I was extremely excited when we drafted him at 27. Keep in mind the pick was made near 10 PM this past Tuesday night... and as a result my reaction woke up the whole house. Whether it was jumping, screaming, fist-pumping, etc. I was jacked up for the rest of the evening. Having my eyes glued to the TV in my basement and pacing for nearly three hours it seemed that all of my nervous energy came out of my body all at once. Cenac had simply slipped down the draft board which I then thought to myself "expect the unexpected." Brad Stevens went for the home run upside of a player I thought Boston had no chance at drafting... and I love it!

Assuming you are unfamiliar with Chris Cenac Jr., Cenac was the best center in his class coming out of high school and committed to Houston to play for coach Kelvin Sampson after playing part of his high school career for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. Yes for those of you who know Cenac did play at our local Bass Pro Tournament of Champions two years ago. Declaring just after his freshman season to enter the NBA Draft the 19 year-old New Orleans native is a very raw prospect particularly on the offensive end although he has a lot of room to grow as a well-rounded scorer. Some say he was better off staying in college another year as he could have further developed his offensive game. Overall though I could not have been happier with the first round selection. Below are my biggest strengths and weaknesses for Chris Cenac Jr.

Strengths:

Athleticism and Defense:

Cenac Jr. is a tremendous athlete. A 6'11 240 lbs. stretch five, he is able to guard smaller guards on the perimeter without having to go into drop coverage often. A very versatile defender he uses his length to roam around and close out on shooters. Further improving his weak-side defense, double-teaming, rotating, and shot blocking will be key as he has shown high-end flashes at times. Being more consistent is the overall goal here.

Cenac has a very high motor and is at his best when he plays off-the-ball allowing him to get into passing lanes for steals and deflections. He covers an impressive amount of ground for his size defensively.

Rebounding: A terrific rebounder, his most NBA ready skill, Cenac led Houston as a freshman, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, an 18 percent rebounding percentage. His ability to put the ball in the basket on putbacks or misses is solid too as he also tends to bat the ball back out to his teammates or to himself on the offensive and defensive glass due to his nine foot standing reach.

Using his long 7'5 wingspan to his advantage he is able to grab rebounds over a crowd of opponents or by disrupting shots on the defensive end. A true rebound chaser he is able to get through traffic if opponents are not willing to box him out. Adding muscle and strength would only improve his already elite rebounding ability.

Play-Finishing: A good threat around the rim the 19 year-old is a play-finisher within the paint. He took 40 dunks and converted 37 of them resulting in 93 percent in college which only boosted his draft stock.

An average cutter Cenac combined for 60 percent of his points from just cutting to the basket as well as taking three pointers. Although not in the 99th percentile his hands are usually ready to catch passes when he is setup near the basket. Using his long arms to grab passes, overall he shot 74 percent around the rim while 64 percent cutting to the basket.

Spotting-Up: Although inefficient Cenac showed promise and was serviceable as a three-point shooter. He is more comfortable taking spot-up three's as he never took any off-the-dribble attempts during his one season at Houston. He shows fluid mechanics in his jump shot for a guy his size and has gone through spurts of making three's in bunches. He was at his best outside the arc from January until March, making around 38 percent of three's he attempted. This skill in my opinion will be the most important to truly unlock his potential of being a true stretch big in the NBA long-term.

Weaknesses:

Strength and Physicality: Although athletic Cenac has the overall frame to add on muscle in the weight room. Assuming he adds to his lanky build this will allow him to play with more force and physicality which should improve all aspects of his game. Whether it be his field goal percentage (48 percent) or a low free throw rate (.19) playing with more force will need to improve given that he is going to the best basketball league the world has to offer. Obviously in doing this he will stick in the Boston rotation long-term.

Shooting Efficiency: As I mentioned above Cenac is a serviceable shooter from three, shooting 33.3 percent from behind the arc. Overall a 48.5 percent field goal percentage and 62.1 free throw percentage from his college days remains a work in progress. Shooting 35.3 percent on non-paint 2's is not a great number either. His effectiveness from all around the floor was either average or below-average whether it be cutting, rolling to the basket, and posting up

Post-Work: Cenac's post-game remains a work in progress as he focused more on his shooting and physical finishing at Houston. His underwhelming footwork will need to develop to some extent as will his touch when his back is against the basket. Simply put he cannot score consistently right now when backed down by a defender down low, his volume of post shots was a small sample.

Instead he most likely will face-up the opposing defender and shoot over him from the elbow or the mid-range, one of Cenac's biggest strengths. This resulted in him shooting 36 percent from taking 151 jumpers. The volume is encouraging almost as if he was a wing inside a 6'11 frame. Hopefully the post-work will become more apart of his game in years to come.

Screening: Cenac's screening is not physical or aggressive enough... at least not yet. When setting a screen the opposing defender can aggressively hedge the play knowing that Cenac will instead likely settle for a face-up jumper, which puts the ball-handler in a bad spot as well. Learning how to screen with the proper technique will be vital for everyone involved.

Outlook: The outlook on Chris Cenac Jr. is that he is a very raw prospect who has a lot of potential to improve with the right development considering he is still only 19 years of age. Personally I cannot wait to see what the Celtics development staff does with him as he oozes with skills to dream on. Thinking back on all of the big men they have developed... from guys like Robert Williams III, Luke Kornet, and most recently Neemias Queta, Cenac has the most potential of them all.

The Celtics rookie has shown flashes of what he can do as going to a strict college program like Houston gave him a similar taste to what the NBA is like. Hopefully we will get to see him in Boston eventually down the road although at the same time he is a project, but nonetheless an exciting one.

Adam's Draft Grade: A

As I mentioned at the top, I was excited... probably a little more than excited about this selection as I love the massive upside Cenac brings to the table. Considering that Boston was able to get him in the late 20's tells me that it was more than worth it to invest in this player as I thought he was one of, if not the best player on the board at 27. They did not draft him at his ceiling either which I like even more. Although it may take a year or two in the G League with the Maine Celtics to develop I believe long-term that this will be an outstanding pick.

Final Thoughts: With NBA Summer League beginning on July 9th we will get to see Chris Cenac Jr. for the first time in green on July 10th against the Toronto Raptors. This will be a great time to see how he can handle the competition against other draft picks. Cenac has the potential to be a prototypical stretch five in the league if everything comes together.

See you on the Parquet

Adam