Welcome to Boston Chris Cenac Jr!

[boscel33]

We could wind up with two surprisingly good bigs in Amari and Cenac!  Cenac might need a year in the G League like Amari because Joe won't play him, but that might be good.  He was projected to go earlier in the 20's and some boards had him jumping into the high teens.  This was solid!

Consensus five star, NBPA Top 100 Camp MVP, 9.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG on a stacked Cougar team.  Interesting, he hit 30 of 90 3pt shots, so that might develop and become a Horford type.

I like the pick, kudos to Brad for another diamond late in the first!

[celticinorlando]

From what was reported, Cenac was a guy the Pelicans were trying to trade into the first round to get....that might be a nice piece in a deal with them.

[jambr380]

From what was reported, Cenac was a guy the Pelicans were trying to trade into the first round to get....that might be a nice piece in a deal with them.

That's interesting to know. I don't think it would have been that difficult to trade up to get him, but I sure wouldn't mind using him as a sweetener in a deal for Murphy. At the very least, if you're a Missi fan, then their interest in Cenac should possibly be able to land him.

Either way, I do like the pick, but it's going to be a while before anything comes to fruition. He really does move well and has a solid jumper. Impressive tools for his size

[CFAN38]

I'm really high on the Cenac pick and had him #18 on my board, with Thomas (#16) as the only higher ranked available player.


I look at Cenac as a high ceiling swing on a big man who if he had returned to college had a real chance to be a lottery pick. He brings great size at 6'10.25 239lbs and a massive 7'5"ws. This makes him similar in size to Jarred Jackson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Miles Turner. He hits a few markers that I really like for a prospect he was the #6 player in his class per ESPN with a grade of 96 and was a member for USA basketballs 2024 U17 gold medal team. He finished 75% of his shots in the paint, shot 33% from 3 on 2.4 attempts, rebounds at a high level, and moves well on the perimeter for a player his size. His block numbers are the real stand out statistical concern but this may be a product of the Houston system/his role. 


Had he stayed in college there was a real chance he earned himself a lottery spot in the 2027 draft.

[Who]

I look at Cenac as a high ceiling swing on a big man who if he had returned to college had a real chance to be a lottery pick. He brings great size at 6'10.25 239lbs and a massive 7'5"ws. This makes him similar in size to Jarred Jackson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Miles Turner.

That is one of the names that comes to mind when you see Cenac take those midrange jumpers in his highlight videos.

He doesn't get his feet set, not balanced, on those jumpers like Aldridge is. Sometimes it feels like he is rushing into those shots. He shoots them more like a SG does than a big man does. Not squared up.

I read he shot 41% on a good volume of midrangers on the season. I think it was the NY Times / Athletic profile linked to in this thread that had that stat.

[Who]

The other player Cenac was reminding me of was Dragan Bender. Both players have good physical tools and some skills but neither guy looked like they knew how to use them.

Bender also wanted to be a PF instead of a C. I think he would have been more successful adapting his game to the C position. Playing PF put more pressure on his handles, passing, outside shooting, shot creation and his skill-level wasn't up to snuff. I see that same similarity in Cenac.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Cenac was the highest ranked freshman Houston signed last season.

Over Kingston Flemmings.

[Who]

With his length, size and lateral quickness he should have been an absolute monster defensively but most scouting reports suggest he has not been all that great. Specifically his rim protection was horrible. Some thought he didnt block a ton of shots because Houston already center that played that role. But when Cenac played without another center next to him, opponents like tripled their rim attempts Not good. All that said his impact stats on defense were phenomenal. Maybe thats just a function of playing on Houston.

That was troubling. The failure to protect the basket, to rotate over on time, the inability to read the game / anticipate where he needs to be. The lack of instincts to protect the basket.

It sure sounds like he is more of a forward than a big man. That is disappointing too. Especially given his size.

Some folks where saying they didn't want another wing with a broken shot. If he is forward, that is what he looks like to me. An athletic defensive forward with a dodgy offensive game. Lacks handles. Lacks passing. Middling jumper.

More in common with Hugo & J Walsh.

[Donoghus]

This is a wild stat from Grande.  It also makes me feel very old.

* Won't turn 20 until February (fun fact: he was born during the Celtics' franchise record 18-game losing streak).

[Goldstar88]

I'm really high on the Cenac pick and had him #18 on my board, with Thomas (#16) as the only higher ranked available player.


I look at Cenac as a high ceiling swing on a big man who if he had returned to college had a real chance to be a lottery pick. He brings great size at 6'10.25 239lbs and a massive 7'5"ws. This makes him similar in size to Jarred Jackson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Miles Turner. He hits a few markers that I really like for a prospect he was the #6 player in his class per ESPN with a grade of 96 and was a member for USA basketballs 2024 U17 gold medal team. He finished 75% of his shots in the paint, shot 33% from 3 on 2.4 attempts, rebounds at a high level, and moves well on the perimeter for a player his size. His block numbers are the real stand out statistical concern but this may be a product of the Houston system/his role. 


Had he stayed in college there was a real chance he earned himself a lottery spot in the 2027 draft.

Nice breakdown. Tp

[keevsnick]

Cenac obviously has a lot to work on (or he wouldn't be available at #27), but he clearly has some athletic gifts. Just watching some clips he's a very smooth athlete. Moves more like a wing than a big.

The combo of movement skills an length gives him a very high defensive ceiling.

[Roy H.]

Do people accept the "Coach told me to rebound the ball instead of blocking shots" explanation for the lack of rim protection?

I remember that trying to block too many shots was a major problem for Sean Williams, in that the analytics showed that despite elite shot-blocking numbers he wasn't that defensively effective, leaving himself out of position for stops and rebounds. 

That said, for a bouncy kid with a 7'5" wingspan, I was surprised that he got so few swats.

[Who]

I think the Jabari Smith Jr looks the best one.

* Above average size & athleticism
* Should be an above average defensive PF
* uncomfortable as a defensive center, more a perimeter defender
* Below average to average skill level offensively. Lacking in ball-handling, passing, shot creation. Some jump-shooting skill.

[Who]

Do people accept the "Coach told me to rebound the ball instead of blocking shots" explanation for the lack of rim protection?

I remember that trying to block too many shots was a major problem for Sean Williams, in that the analytics showed that despite elite shot-blocking numbers he wasn't that defensively effective, leaving himself out of position for stops and rebounds. 

That said, for a bouncy kid with a 7'5" wingspan, I was surprised that he got so few swats.

Yes and no.

Tyson Chandler did the same thing. He contested shots but prioritized staying in position to get the defensive rebound. He was told to do this (Skiles in Chicago I think) and did so for his entire career. So he had lower blocks than expected for a guy with his size, athleticism and defensive chops ... but his team protected the defensive glass better than others. So yes to that end. It is part of the story.

But no because Cenac should have still had more blocks than that at the college level even while prioritizing rebounding positioning. He has extraordinary size, length & athleticism for college basketball. Even while prioritizing rebounding, he should be getting more blocks than he had.

Edit: Part of the Tyson Chandler explanation -- Tyson reasoned that when you block the ball your team gets it about 50-55% of the time whereas when a team misses a shot your team gets the ball around 75% of the time. So you where better to prioritize the rebound than the blocked shot.

[Celtics2021]

Do people accept the "Coach told me to rebound the ball instead of blocking shots" explanation for the lack of rim protection?

I remember that trying to block too many shots was a major problem for Sean Williams, in that the analytics showed that despite elite shot-blocking numbers he wasn't that defensively effective, leaving himself out of position for stops and rebounds. 

That said, for a bouncy kid with a 7'5" wingspan, I was surprised that he got so few swats.

It is probably a bit of both.  Looking at the Houston stats of their three primary bigs, all three of them (Cenac, Tucker, and Sakho) were pretty comparable offensive rebounders,  but Cenac more than doubled them in defensive rebounding percentage.  Meanwhile they both doubled his block percentage.  So that points to a role that did emphasize clearing the defensive glass as opposed to blocking shots.  However, if Cenac were a better shot-blocker, he also might have been assigned to a different role, because Houston definitely let at least some of their bigs go for blocks.  (Tugler, in fact, is 9th all-time in block percentage in the big 12).  He is young and reportedly very coachable, so maybe the technique will catch up to the physical tools, but it very likely is a weakness, and not just a product of the Houston system.