SerpApi.Org
It was a sigh of relief when Chris Cenac Jr. heard his name called in the first round of the NBA Draft. While he, along with a few experts, thought his name would be higher, it was the Boston Celtics that picked him up 27th overall.
Now, Cenac is ready to prove that the Celtics made a choice the rest of the league will regret.
Cenac was the No. 1 center in the 2025 recruiting class. A high-ceiling player, Cenac led Kelvin Sampson’s Houston in rebounds (7.9 RPG) and used his 7-foot-5 wingspan to anchor one of the best defenses in the nation. The McDonald’s All-American only needed one season to impress.
At just 19, Cenac is someone who can be molded into a potential superstar. Was all that potential work too much for other teams to handle? The Celtics picked him up later than was previously predicted, something Cenac will make sure other teams remember when he faces them.
“I dropped way lower than I was supposed to in the draft,” Cenac said to ESPN via MassLive. “So I’m coming out and showing everybody what I’m capable of doing and regretting the decision that they made.”
Cenac started that pledge during Summer League. He scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds in the first Summer League Game against the Raptors. After failing to contribute the next game, Cenac made up for it against the Hawks, scoring 16 points with four blocks and going 6-13 FG. Cenac would continue to produce double-double stats through the remainder of Summer League play.
In four Summer League games, Cenac averaged 10.5 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and 2.8 blocks per game in 23.3 minutes per contest. Given an opportunity, Cenac made the most of it.
“Chris is really impressive, especially with his size,” Summer League coach Amile Jefferson said. “He has super big hands. He’s really mobile, he can move. It’s been really good. Just in this last week, see the growth, see how the coaching has impacted him, getting him to play really hard, screening, making points and then just being a connector for our team.”
It's unclear how big a role Cenac will have with the team due to the signing of Mitchell Robinson and the impact Neemias Queta had last season. However, Summer League was the first step for Cenac to prove he belongs in the league.
Doing it in a Celtics uniform will be the cherry on top.
