Who is Chris Cenac Jr., the Celtics Selection With the 27th pick in the NBA Draft?

Chris Cenac Jr. has the potential to be a hit, but chances are he won't help right away. Here's a look at what the Celtics are getting.

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the twenty seventh pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. after he was selected by the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics were answering question after question about Jaylen Brown late Tuesday night, it was easy to forget that Stevens was there because he had just drafted Chris Cenac Jr., a 6-10 forward who was a one-and-done at Houston this past season. 

“He's just a good young player,” Stevens said of his newest Celtic. “Energetic, plays hard, excellent athlete, long. Fits a position of need, some things that we were a little short on this year from an athletic perspective, I think with his size and his length.”

At 6-10, 240 lbs and a 7-5 wingspan, Cenac Jr.’s measurables immediately fit in the NBA with room to get even stronger. He’s mobile for a guy his size, but he is undoubtedly a work in progress. He had strong numbers around the rim, finishing nearly 75% of his shots there, but he also struggled to finish through contact. He preferred to play around the perimeter, but he was not a three-point shooter. 

“I think he’s got a lot to learn,” Stevens said of Cenac Jr., who was the sixth-rated prospect coming out of high school. “He’s got a long way to go. He's got a lot of room to grow, but when you're that age and you were that ballyhooed coming out of high school, and then you go and play for Coach [Kelvin] Sampson, and he does not let you off the hook for one mistake over the course of a full year, in everything that we've learned about Chris and everything that coach has told me, that he was pretty hard on him and he was on him. All he did was come to work and I think that that's a really impressive quality for a young guy.”

The coachability might be his biggest asset at the moment. The most consistent comments about Cenac Jr. are that he sought out one of the toughest coaches in the country and took the hard coaching to heart with a smile on his face. That's important heading into a situation like the Celtics, led by the notoriously tough-on-rookies Joe Mazzulla.

“When you play in the program he's played for, he’s been taught well and been held to a high standard,” Stevens said. “I like that, and he will undoubtedly come here and be eager to jump into it. He’s a good worker, he's a good person, and he's got a lot to learn, but we're excited about starting that process with him.”

Cenac appeared in 37 career games (36 starts) in his one season at Houston, averaging 9.5 points (48.5 FG%, 33.3 3FG%) and 7.9 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game. The 19-year-old led the Big 12 in defensive rating (92.2) and ranked fifth in the conference in total rebounds (291). The first freshman to lead Houston in rebounding since 2011-12, Cenac Jr. had 14 10+ rebounding games, including a team-high six double-doubles.

Drafting at 27 generally means trying to find a player with a singular NBA-level skill and trying to develop the rest. For Cenac Jr., that skill is his rebounding. He rebounds out of his zone, chases down offensive boards, and will probably spend a good chunk of summer league putting back Celtics misses with loud dunks. It’s a skill that could conceivably make Mazzulla try Cenac Jr. on a night the Celtics are getting crushed on the glass. 

But Cenac Jr. says the elite rebounding was partly due to what the team needed, and there's more to his defensive game.

“I was focused a lot on rebounding and guarding multiple positions, so I wasn’t always around the rim as much,” Cenac Jr. said in an interview with USA Today. “But I can block shots, I can protect the rim, and that’s something I’m looking forward to showing more at the next level.”  

Cenac Jr.’s shooting looks good and gives some real hope that his range can be expanded over time. At the very least, he could project out to a reliable jump shooter in short roll situations. In short, you can squint and see the makings of a really good player down the road. It’s why the No Ceilings Draft Guide summed up Cenac Jr. by asking “Who doesn’t want a sweet-shooting big man and blue chip prospect who finishes everything around the basket and took huge strides forward as a rim protector while learning under one of the bet coaches in basketball?”

It’s glowing praise, but there's a reason he fell to 27. His highlights look great but his full game film shows why he’s a project. He’s young and all the puzzle pieces are there, he just needs the right situation to put them all together and create the full picture. One thing seems clear, Cenac Jr. will put in the work to give himself a real chance at realizing his full potential.

“When I watched him play live several times this year, he didn't always play well, but I never walked out of the gym thinking he didn't play hard, and he didn't really, really, really go after it,” Stevens said. “I think that's a good place to start.”