masslive
LAS VEGAS Chris Cenac Jr.
wasnt expected to be available when the Celtics picked at No.
26 last month.
However, the raw big man slipped down draft boards, leaving Boston with an emerging young talent to invest in.
The early returns remained promising on Monday night as Cenac Jr.
bounced back from a tough first half to finish with 16 points, five rebounds and four blocks in Bostons 102-90 loss to the Hawks.
Through three games, Cenac Jr.
is averaging three blocks per game, putting him among the league leaders in Summer League as a 19-year-old.
There have been flashes on both ends of the floor despite some inconsistency.
Chris is really impressive, especially with his size, Amile Jefferson said at a recent practice.
He has super big hands.
Hes really mobile, he can move.
Its been really good.
Just in this last week, see the growth, see how the coaching has impacted him, getting him to play really hard, screening, making points and then just being a connector for our team.
With Mitchell Robinson, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza all ahead of him on Bostons depth chart, the Celtics know they can take a long-term approach with Cenacs development.
The foundation in place give them a lot to work with since his athleticism and leaping ability look like he belongs in the NBA already.
I hope were good enough that its hard for any 18-year-old or 19-year-old to come in here and be really good out of the gate, Stevens said of Cenac after the draft.
I 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.
If they can add value thats great but there wont be any expectation of that.
From my standpoint there certainly is probably a lot of excitement and expectation.
Cenac Jr.
will get two more chances to continue that growth this summer starting on Wednesday night against the Kings.