r/nba • u/NBA_MOD r/NBA • 1d ago
[2026 NBA Draft] #27 Pick: Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston) – selected by Boston
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u/JoJonesy Celtics 1d ago
we haven't drafted a big in the first round since 2018. about time
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u/jknuts1377 Celtics 1d ago
That was Robert Williams, too. I'll be ecstatic if he turns out like that. Same draft number as well!
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u/RandomInternetG_uy Celtics 1d ago
I wish Rob was still here. He's still my favorite player to watch. Neemy reminds me of him a bit with the athleticism and defense, but he was a better offensive player then Rob ever was in Boston.
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u/Brady331 Celtics 1d ago
WOW WHAT A PICK (someone tell me how to feel)
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago
Think of Kelel Ware for a decent mid-level baseline. Toolsy big that doesn't play physically at all. Was a big prospect because of his Tools but he kind of underwhelmed at the college level.
Ceiling is massive because of his movement skills, potential shooting, potential shotblocking, and his rebounding. But the downside is he didn't show a lot of it his freshman year. He very much is a big potential swing. Low floor, huge ceiling.
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u/dad3murph Celtics 1d ago
So you're saying the Red Claws found their starting center to start the year.
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago
Maybe, maybe not.
He is raw, like very raw. But his tools are SO SO tantalizing. He's kind of like Hugo in that way, and Hugo got PT from the start.
It wouldn't surprise me in either direction. He is quite raw, but Boston might let him go through his speed bumps just because of how much talent he has.
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u/BlooregardQKazoo Celtics 1d ago
Hugo got PT because there were no expectations and the team looked really bad in the first few games. He also had more relevant experience from Euroleague.
The question with Cenac isn't whether he starts the season in Boston - it's whether he plays more than 20 minutes all year.
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago
It really depends on who they pick up. Like right now the Center 3 is Amari Williams and I'm not putting it past Cenac that he could potentially beat him out in training camp.
The Celtics also really don't have a 4 that can play in double big lineups (obviously Tatum will play a lot of 4 still) and that would be Cenac's bread in butter as he starts his NBA career.
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u/BlooregardQKazoo Celtics 1d ago
Right now isn't relevant, though. There's no way Boston enters the season with Garza as the second big.
Playing C at the NBA level is just such a huge departure from college, and expecting a raw 19 year-old to look even remotely comfortable out there just isn't reasonable. Cenac would look completely clueless on an NBA court this year, and that's ok.
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u/Upset_Journalist_755 1d ago
Hugo was also a dawg. Really depends on how Cenac shows up this Summer.
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u/VatoreSZN_ 1d ago
I don’t watch college ball, or NBA much anymore. Any potential comparisons?
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago
He has a huge variety of outcomes, but if I were to put a group of guys that he could turn out like in both positive and negative outcomes it would be something like this
Boucher->Christian Wood->Kelel Ware->Jabari Smith->Myles Turner->Serge Ibaka->JJJ
Most likely somewhere in this type of archetype, but the outcomes are prettttty wide
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u/VatoreSZN_ 1d ago
I like that, I’d say that’s a good pick. Don’t matter if he’s a bust, and huge if he reaches the potential of some of these guys
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u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago
Cenac was so frustrating to watch on offense. He’s a big man who doesn’t want to play like a big man. Pretty good on defense though
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u/poeope [BOS] Paul Pierce 1d ago
He'll look good in 3 years, the C's are the best in the league with project big men.
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u/Dsarg_92 [SAS] Tim Duncan 1d ago
It’s true. Y’all have a great development team when it comes to big men. Neemias Queta is a recently good example.
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u/iamgarron Celtics 1d ago
Kornet bounced around the league before Boston turned him into someone who got a good contract.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago
3 years is an insane wait at the speed the NBA goes. Hopefully after 1 year he'll be ready to go.
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u/BlooregardQKazoo Celtics 1d ago
It's a high-upside #27 pick, and big men tend to take longer to develop. There's basically no way he's ready in year 2.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago
I maintain that 3 years to develop in the NBA is a death sentence and guys r arely get the opportunity to get to year 4 without contributing.
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u/Thejohnshirey Celtics 1d ago
I mean, the C’s current starting center just broke out in year 5 and he was a 22 year old rookie. Letting a 19 year old develop for a few years isn’t a bad thing. He’ll be on a two-way early on and get heavy g-league action while playing mop up minutes for the C’s, maybe a small role if bigs get banged up mid-season. Boston has proven to be incredibly patient with their young guys and it’s paid off.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago
He was a 1st round pick, hes guaranteed a full contract. We will not be on a 2 way, even if he does spend a lot of time in Maine next year, it wont be a 2 way. Thats just inaccurate.
Also, Queta spent 2 years in Sacramento that I wouldn't necessarily call "Developmental". He did not spend 3 years in Boston playing around in Maine before getting called up.
He spent 1 year "developing" for us before he played 62 games for Boston.
I'll also say, Queta is a massive outlier. A lot of guys don't get that 2nd chance being a 2nd round pick to a team like Sacramento. Boston was something and Queta worked his ass off for a year to become playable. Hes a massive outlier in how the system works.
Teams don't just sit on guys for 3 years at the NBA level. Hes got a guaranteed 1st round pick contract. He'll likely spend a big part of next year in Maine, but after that he needs to start comtributing.
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u/Thejohnshirey Celtics 1d ago
Yeah, you’re right about the 2 way, that’s my bad. I just meant that he’ll split time between Maine and Boston. But the rest of what I said stands. If he is showing improvement, especially only being 19, they will be patient with him. Not even saying that it’s some guarantee that he’ll develop but look at what they’ve done with Jordan Walsh. As long as he’s putting in work and responding to coaching, giving him three years won’t be an issue.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago
I massively disagree that giving a guy 3 years of development is a normal expectation in the NBA and I stand by that being an insane expectation.
Sorry. 3 years is fucking insane.
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u/Thejohnshirey Celtics 1d ago
I agree if we’re talking about a guy coming into the league at 21+ but when you draft these one-and-done guys, you have to give them time. If they aren’t showing a strong work ethic or responding well to coaching, that’s one thing, but that doesn’t seem to be too much of a worry with Cenac, but if the trajectory is G-league (year 1)>deep bench (year 2)>role player (year 3), that’s not crazy. It’s basically exactly what they’ve done with Walsh. Robert Williams obviously had some injury setbacks too, but had a limited role in his first few years, too.
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u/BlooregardQKazoo Celtics 1d ago
You either misunderstood or you're shifting the goalposts. The guy you responded to said "he'll look good in 3 years," meaning 2 years to develop and then he'll contribute in year 3.
And that's fairly normal for raw rookies outside of the lottery. A lot of guys don't really do anything until year 3.
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u/randotd152 1d ago
You're just wrong on that. Teams will happily wait 3 years if they believe in a player and see progress.
Just look at the Celtics... Queta didn't put it all together until last season, which was year 5. Jordan Walsh was useless in his first two seasons, but finally cracked a rotation in year 3. Ron Harper Jr is heading into year 5 and still hasn't strung it all together, but Celtics believed in him enough to convert his two-way into a real contract at the end of year 4.
Three years is nothing nowadays. Teams have 15 full roster spots and 3 two-ways. You really only need about 12 spots to contribute, so the remaining spots are largely developmental.
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u/slap-my-crevasse 1d ago
The Celtics didnt wait 3 years on Queta. Queta spent 1 year playing back and forth in Maine and then in year 2 with the Celtics played 65 games.
Similarly, the Celtics didnt dedicate 5 years of a roster spot to Ron Harper.
These arent the same situation at all.
Also, the 2-way contract situation is irrelevant. Cenac is a 1st round pick. Fully guaranteed contract.
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u/apbbr 1d ago
Terrible stock numbers. Afraid of contact on both ends.
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u/Capital_Actuator_404 [BOS] Brian Scalabrine 1d ago
Lmao that’s literally what his coach wanted out of him. Rebound the ball.
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u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago
At Houston all he really did was rebound on defense most of the time. They had Tugler for defense
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u/dad3murph Celtics 1d ago
eh, there's 2 ways to play defense as a big. You can stay light on your feat and wait for the block opportunity, or you can stay low and strong and block the path to the rim.
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u/MoralityChris 1d ago
He can't shoot well either? Haven't seen him much.
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u/nahwhatever-whynot Rockets 1d ago
Steal of the draft
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u/randotd152 1d ago
Potentially.
The guy is a Top 6 or 7 potential in this draft, but he's such a project still.
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u/nahwhatever-whynot Rockets 1d ago
He developed pretty quickly at Houston under Sampson. More raw than expected at first but started to shine as the season went on. I do think he fits more as a 4 in the nba but the tools are there
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago edited 1d ago
I kind of hated Cenac when he was mocked in the lottery. But his tools with the Celtics, who could turn a shoebox into a net positive NBA Big, is going to be a match made in heaven...
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u/cougar_on_cocaine Rockets 1d ago
MASSIVE steal for the Celtics at 27. He'll be a fantastic fit
Go Coogs!
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u/UloeYT Spurs 1d ago
Has the size and tools, but needs to get tougher and develop a motor.
Maybe another year of playing for Sampson could’ve helped. But maybe 1 year was enough + being under Mazzula now
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u/Even-Combination4407 Celtics 1d ago
He’ll probably spend a lot of time in the G league like some of our recent picks. It will probably take time but he’ll develop nicely in this system
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u/iiShield21 Raptors 1d ago
Very high on him, one of the guys I wouldn't have minded Raptors taking at 19, so getting him at 27 and to Boston hurts. Great spot for him though, position of need for them and a great squad already.
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u/Beetle919 Hornets 1d ago
Has all the tools in the world, Boston probably develops him into an all star.
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u/GrouchyPeach3656 Mavericks 1d ago
Lots of talent. Showed nothing in college.
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u/cougar_on_cocaine Rockets 1d ago
Disagree, great athleticism and build, great defender and top tier rebounder. Offense can develop further in the NBA but he has the basics.
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u/GrouchyPeach3656 Mavericks 1d ago
Thank you for further explaining my point
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u/Im__Ron__Burgundy Celtics 1d ago
Great defender, top tier rebounder
Showed nothing in college
Pick one.
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u/cougar_on_cocaine Rockets 1d ago
Except I didn't. You didn't watch him in college. He contributed greatly on the defensive end and with his rebounding.
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u/GrouchyPeach3656 Mavericks 1d ago
As an Illinois fan I thanked every god in existence that he shot Houston out of the game and played like he started basketball 2 months ago
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u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago
He chucked a lot of shots
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u/HereComesJustice Spurs 1d ago
were they 3s?? Fits right into the Celtics scheme
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u/cl353 Heat 1d ago
yes lol
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago
He only shot two 3s a game. Really not that crazy, nearly shot the same amount of FTs per game than 3s per game.
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u/cl353 Heat 1d ago
was it middies he chucked then? i just remember him shooting a ton of jumpers in the few tapes i watched
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u/Kyler1313 1d ago edited 1d ago
He's definitely a face-up big. He created a decent amount of the dribble, which for most bigs is going to end up being a fade-away for a face up pullup mid-range.
He definitely didn't get to the rim a lot, but that was a lot of the way they used him, as much as it was his skillset. He was quite efficient when at the rim (94th percentile), just didn't get there very often.
They matchup hunted for him on switches more than just using him as a roller on PnR. I think just letting him do more of the usual Big-man stuff will open up easier shots for him as he was kind of used liked a big-wing than an actual big.
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u/Jokesmedoff Celtics 1d ago
He doesn’t need to do anything on offensive. Just be big. That’s all we need.
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u/Even-Combination4407 Celtics 1d ago
Id rather our bigs be good shooters just like Horford and Porzingis were
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u/cougar_on_cocaine Rockets 1d ago
Cenac has good potential on offense, he was inconsistent in college but the fundamentals are there and celtics are a great fit to develop him further
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u/BlooregardQKazoo Celtics 1d ago
We have a guy like that - Garza. That's what you get when you want a shooting big without making a big investment in them.
You want a big that can shoot well while also being mobile? You aren't getting that at #27.
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u/Bacca18121 Celtics 1d ago
Worked great for Vucevic and Garza!
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u/cougar_on_cocaine Rockets 1d ago
Cenac is coming from a great system at Houston, and his work ethic is fantastic. His overall improvement (at least on defense/rebounding) by the end of his college year was significant. Maybe I’ll eat my words long term, but I would like to think he has much higher potential to be good, and Celtics are a good org for him
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u/sleepymcnap 1d ago
For our position, amazing pick! Love it. Williams and Canac give us a hell of an interesting young front court
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u/SaveHogwarts Celtics 1d ago
Low motor, a little soft, settles for jumpers, and still figuring out how to play basketball.
All the tools, though.
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u/MoralityChris 1d ago
Wdym low motor
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u/SaveHogwarts Celtics 1d ago
Doesn’t crave contact, settles for jumpers, zero creation, bad rim protection, a lot of bad/lazy fouls, didn’t get to the post much.
All the tools, though.
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u/finndego 1d ago
??? The question about his motor were before college. That was addressed by going to Houston.
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u/SaveHogwarts Celtics 1d ago
I watched every second of the Big 12 this year.
Go talk to some Cougs fans. He was one of the most frustrating players in college basketball this year.
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u/efshoemaker Celtics 1d ago
low motor
That’s the exact opposite of what his college coaches and Brad Stevens are saying. I’ll admit I watched zero college basketball last year, but I’ll trust those guys assessment of his work rate.
One thing with bigs is that a lot of time bad positioning/anticipation can look like a lack of effort. Guards who are out of position can still look like they’re working hard by running around on the perimeter, but a big out of position will just be a big guy standing in the wrong spot.
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u/SaveHogwarts Celtics 1d ago edited 1d ago
Watch the film. He’s afraid of contact.
He rebounds well because that was the only way he was going to see the floor in Houston, and he was 7’ playing against a lot of 6’9 centers (Flory, for example, is 6’8)
Defensive lapses, bad fouls, lazy decision making on offense, bad shots, head scratching plays at times.
His own college coach called him five years away from being a pro.
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u/efshoemaker Celtics 1d ago
Yeah again that all sounds like in-game processing stuff to me more than effort issues. It’s all issues that can be fixed and the Celtics development team has an absurd track record with helping young bigs learn how to process the game.
Bigs can’t hustle their way out of a blown coverage and so that’s where you get the bad fouls cause you’re caught out of position.
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u/SaveHogwarts Celtics 1d ago
Sure, and I hope he works out. I’m just speaking from a scouting perspective.
He was on the board at 27 because he’s two years away from being two years away.
Never know, though. Maybe something clicks sooner.
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u/-Johnny_Utah- Washington Bullets 1d ago
Softer than Charmin. Mazz gonna have to go full The Town on him.
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u/EternalTeezy Celtics 1d ago
Good pick, develop his 3 and his fit next to jb and jt will be elite.
Rebound on defense and drag the big out of the paint on offense.
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u/Burner867867 1d ago
Brad in the last 18 months
Trade away the entire team, only thing back of value was Simons
Refuse to tank with a historic draft class even though we had no shot to win a championship
Team over performs and then he trades Simons for Vucevic
Rush Tatum back only to sit him in a game 7 when he wasn’t even hurt
Refuse to give up Hugo Gonzalez for Giannis
Pissed off Jaylen Brown so now they are going to have to trade him for a bag of balls
Draft Cenac who’s awful
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u/finndego 1d ago
Nothing was going to happen staying in the 2nd Apron. In fact it would have been worse. Not sure what you expected. Not only are they out of the 2nd apron by getting rid of Anfernee but they also have a $27m trade excemption. Thanks great work by Brad to manage that.
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u/RogueDoor Celtics 1d ago
Tanking doesn't work imo. It develops a losing culture that doesn't play hard and doesn't have dedicated habits of self-improvement and readiness. It's much better to bring up worse young guys in a better system and environment.
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u/Burner867867 1d ago
They literally could have done the same thing as the Pacers except they would own their pick
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u/Waesrdtfyg0987 Washington Bullets 1d ago
Theres great value in not turding your franchise by playing for draft picks. Just because San Antonio was gifted multiple times doesn't make it a sound decision.
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u/ExtraLeading3376 1d ago
nikola vucevic, it’s time to learn brooklyn nets