The Ringer\u2019s J. Kyle Mann<\/a>: \u201cA bet on Cenac is a bet on upside at this point, but there are obvious physical tools to work with. His success will rely on his new team having a strong veteran presence, a simplified role for him (for now), and a proven player development infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s Sam Vecenie<\/a>: He\u2019s probably entering the draft at least one year \u2014 if not two years \u2014 before he\u2019s ready, and my guess is Cenac will have a slow build over the next few years. Don\u2019t expect anything in Year 1, as he should be considered a project. But if he gets to the right organization that can help him develop his perimeter skills and continue to work on his feel for the game, he could be a significant impact player.\u201d<\/p>\n Cenac also wasn\u2019t much of a shot-blocker at Houston, registering just 18 in 37 games (and only one game with more than one block). Still, he was widely pegged as a player likely to come off the board in the late teens or 20s. ESPN had him ranked as the 19th-best prospect in this year\u2019s draft class.<\/p>\n Stevens said the Celtics aren\u2019t expecting Cenac, who won\u2019t turn 20 until February, to be an immediate NBA contributor. He noted, though, that the team felt the same way about last year\u2019s first-round draftee, and Hugo Gonzalez went on to play rotation minutes for most of his rookie season.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope we\u2019re good enough that it\u2019s hard for any 18-year-old or 19-year-old to come in here and be really good out of the gate,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cI think that usually is more about their own personal development and growth and learning how hard it is and learning how to be a part of a team and learning how we work and how we go about it every day. And then if they can add value, that\u2019s great, but there won\u2019t be any expectation of that from my standpoint. There certainly probably is a lot of excitement and expectation from him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we were sitting here last year, and I didn\u2019t think the guy that we drafted would play at all for us. You never know. Let\u2019s see. We\u2019ll see how they all come in and work, and he\u2019ll certainly have the opportunity like everybody else. But you\u2019re behind when you\u2019re 19 and you\u2019re dealing with now men.\u201d<\/p>\n Cenac should get his first opportunity to match up against fellow professionals at the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins July 9.<\/p>\n The Celtics will finalize their 2026 draft class Wednesday night. They currently own the 10th pick of the second round (No. 40 overall).<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to continue to look at size,\u201d Stevens said when asked about the team\u2019s offseason priorities. \u201cAnd then I do think we will look to add. We\u2019ll see how (Wednesday) goes. We have a pick at No. 40. Whether that is somebody that we ultimately roster or (sign to a) two-way or whatever, we\u2019ll figure that stuff out. But I do think size, and then I would like to add maybe one more person with speed on the perimeter.\u201d<\/p>\n The draft began with Brockton native and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa becoming the second consecutive New England product to go No. 1 overall<\/a> (joining 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who hails from Maine) and the first Massachusetts-raised prospect to do so since Patrick Ewing in 1985.<\/p>\n The Washington Wizards, draft lottery winners after three consecutive sub-20-win seasons, took Dybantsa with the top pick. Kansas\u2019 Darryn Peterson went second overall to the Utah Jazz, followed by Duke\u2019s Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies) and North Carolina\u2019s Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls) to round out a star-studded top four.<\/p>\n Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, who grew up in Nashua, N.H., and spent part of his high school career at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, came off the board at No. 17 overall. He\u2019ll join the Detroit Pistons, who acquired the pick from Memphis, via Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26167606171058.jpg\")
FILE – Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. (5) shoots the ball as Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) defends in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Feb. 21, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo\/Maria Lysaker, File)<\/p>\n