"He's just a good young player. Energetic, plays hard, athletic, long. Fits a position of need, some things we were a little short on," Brad Stevens said.
The Celtics picked Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward spent just one season with the Cougars, declaring for the draft after his freshman season. He averaged 9.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game for Houston.
Cenac has the size to play center, but has also been used at times as a power forward. He was a top-ten prospect in the 2025 class as a high school senior. He played in both the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan brand classic.
The young big man will likely be a developmental player for the Celtics. Boston could use front-court help in the near future, but Cenac is just 19-years-old and won’t turn 20 until February. He still has room to grow after just one year in college.
“He’s just a good young player. Energetic, plays hard, athletic, long. Fits a position of need, some things we were a little short on,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said.
He shot 33 percent from 3-point range on 2.4 attempts per game, but the bulk of his points come around the rim. His potential as a lengthy, mobile, rim protector is one of the things that made him a coveted high school prospect.
But, there is work to do in terms of turning that potential into production at the pro level.
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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