Chris Cenac Jr. keeps giving the Celtics reasons to believe he can help sooner than later.
The rookie big man has been turning heads early in camp and preseason, and the first impressions have centered on exactly what you’d want from a young frontcourt piece: rim protection and rebounding. That combination showed up right away in Summer League, where Cenac posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in Boston’s opener.
He carried that momentum into his preseason debut against the Cavaliers, finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 24 minutes. Then came his TD Garden debut, another chance to show he can handle whatever role comes his way. Cenac logged five points and five rebounds in seven minutes and made the most of the brief run.
“Felt pretty good playing in The Garden. I knew I was going to get it, but I did get in a little earlier than expected.
But I was ready. I will always be ready when my name's called,” Cenac said via CLNS Media.
Boston has reason to like what it’s seeing. D.J. MacLeay pointed to the same qualities that keep showing up on film and in the box score.
“The two things that really stuck out to me were Chris, his ability to protect the rim, and then just him rebounding basketball - I thought he did a really good job of that,” Celtics assistant coach D.J. MacLeay said about Cenac after the preseason opener via SB Nation.
Cenac arrived in Boston with a strong resume. He was a consensus five-star prospect at Houston, led the Cougars with 7.9 rebounds per game last season, helped them reach the Sweet Sixteen, and was taken 27th overall in the NBA Draft.
For now, he’s still in the proving-it phase. But the early signs are there, and Cenac has already shown he can make his presence felt whenever the Celtics call his number.
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