The Boston Celtics selected Chris Cenac Jr. with the 27th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old entered the league after an impressive one-and-done season with the Houston Cougars.
Cenac is expected to be somewhat of a developmental project for Boston. While his athleticism, motor and willingness to compete on every play are all ideal for the NBA game, there’s room for improvement as a screener, roller and shot blocker.
When speaking with Heavy on Sports, former Celtics forward and player development coach Evan Turner shared his belief that Cenac could be a strong addition for the Celtics.
“Yeah, I’ve seen him. I like him a lot,” Turner said, via Kalshi promo code. “Liked his personality at Houston. I know he came in as an All-American, highly touted, but I love how he was able to join a tough environment. When you go to Houston, Coach Sampson, that’s a blue-collar environment. Even when you look at some of their, their, their summer regimens, it’s somewhat identifiable with the Celtics.”
Turner continued.
“ He showed he can shoot the three a little bit, takes great pride in hedging the pick-and-roll, showing on picks, and then defending the paint. And I think when it comes down to a front court that really needs some movement, talent, athleticism, I believe they’re gonna get a lot out of him. Especially when it comes to the skill development part, because no matter what, you’re gonna need to shoot the three, but you’re also gonna need to be active.”
Turner Believes Cenac Can Earn Minutes With Celtics
Turner also shared that he believes Cenac could earn a spot in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation this season.
“Looking at the front court right now, you would think it would give him an opportunity to compete a little bit. I wanna give Neemias Queta his due credit for what he’s done and how he’s anchored that position this past year. But obviously, in the playoffs, you saw they were trying to work through three different big men, figuring out what would work, what wouldn’t work.”
Turner continued.
“So I think in any situation you wanna make sure your two-man rotation at center is always solidified… So I think if he comes out with the right type of mentality, right type of energy, who wouldn’t love that youth on a defensive end? And it’s not like you’re expecting so much scoring, you’re just expecting a person to run the floor, push the pace, and, you know, play the Celtics brand of basketball.”
Cenac Impressed In College
Cenac suited up for 37 games last season, starting 36 of them. He averaged 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 33.3% from deep and 48.5% from the field.
However, it was his willingness to switch onto difficult matchups and contest shots at the rim that was a bright spot. Boston needs a switchable option at the five, having lost that when Al Horford left last summer.
Of course, Cenac shouldn’t be expected to emerge as a primary contributor this season. Still, if he can make the most of the minutes afforded to him, Celtics fans may have another reason to be excited about the years to come.
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