BOSTON — The Celtics have their latest first-round pick, selecting Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr. at 27th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. It was clear the C’s could look to bolster their big man depth through the draft, and that’s what they did with Cenac.
Cenac figures to join a center rotation that already has Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. Queta is the projected starter after his breakout season. Of course, the Celtics could still add to their roster with free agency set for next week. How Cenac figures to be in the mix remains to be seen, but he’s officially with the C’s now.
Here are four things to know about Cenac, the Celtics’ newest first-round pick:
While college players are trending older in this current age, that isn’t the case for Cenac. He’s still just 19 and won’t turn 20 until next February. That means Cenac still has a lot of time to round out his game going forward. On the flip side, it also means he’s still a raw prospect coming out of Houston. Cenac was also rated as a five-star player coming out of high school and was nationally a top-10 prospect, per 247Sports.
The Celtics added some size with Cenac, who was measured at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. That should fit right in at the next level. He’ll likely need to add some muscle and weight considering the league’s physicality, but Cenac has time to grow into an NBA body. Just don’t expect Cenac to be an immediate starter quite yet.
Cenac figures to join a center rotation that already has Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. Queta is the projected starter after his breakout season. Of course, the Celtics could still add to their roster with free agency set for next week. How Cenac figures to be in the mix remains to be seen, but he’s officially with the C’s now.
Here are four things to know about Cenac, the Celtics’ newest first-round pick:
While college players are trending older in this current age, that isn’t the case for Cenac. He’s still just 19 and won’t turn 20 until next February. That means Cenac still has a lot of time to round out his game going forward. On the flip side, it also means he’s still a raw prospect coming out of Houston. Cenac was also rated as a five-star player coming out of high school and was nationally a top-10 prospect, per 247Sports.
The Celtics added some size with Cenac, who was measured at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. That should fit right in at the next level. He’ll likely need to add some muscle and weight considering the league’s physicality, but Cenac has time to grow into an NBA body. Just don’t expect Cenac to be an immediate starter quite yet.
4 months ago
