When C’s fans see “Brad does it again” in a draft setting, you might assume he drafted a crafty 6’8 3-and-D wing who is slightly raw.
This is only partially true this year (he’s missing the “3”).
I’ve been excited for this moment since I first signed onto Celtics Nation, recapping the 2026 Draft.
Round 1, Pick 27 // Chris Cenac Jr., Center (Houston)
I couldn’t have been more excited once Mark Tatum announced this pick. Besides UConn (Roll Skies), Houston might have been my most-viewed college basketball team. I’ve always loved Kelvin Sampson’s system and always feel his players come NBA-ready. Cenac is a defensively stout center who can truly develop offensively if given the chance. He only shot 3 threes per game and made 33%, but the form is there. 9.5 points per game is truly a good mark for such a stacked Houston squad, which many chose to win the national championship. He also benefited greatly from an elite backcourt of lottery pick Kingston Flemings and UDFA signing Milos Uzan, as well as Emmanuel Sharp.
Credit: Boston Celtics-Twitter/XMy concern with Cenac is the 0.5 blocks per game. I am chalking this up to Houston being so physical that they end possessions before shots are taken, leading to a lower block average for one of the best defensive squads in the country. Fit-wise for the Celtics, he should be the backup center or power forward behind Neemias Queta.
Brad Stevens on Chris Cenac:
“He’s just a good young player, 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.”
Round 2, Pick 40 // Dillon Mitchell, Forward (St. John’s)
Gotta start this section off by saying Roll Skies. Although I hate St. John’s with a burning passion, Dillon Mitchell is a downright freak athlete who is almost exclusively a finisher around the rim. He shot a horrifying 6.7% from 3; however, the Celtics front office was quick to claim they loved his form and that he could be fixed. I wasn’t too intrigued by the pick once it was made; Henri Veesaar from UNC or Tennessee’s Jakobi Gillespie would have been better fits. It seems Veesaar had an agreement with Atlanta, though. My concern with this pick is that the forward room is already so crowded that Mitchell will struggle to get real playtime. Maybe the front office’s comment that they think they can fix his shot is a declaration that he’ll be sent to Maine to develop before making the main roster. This might not also be the case as he will be 23 on opening night.
Mitchell is an amazing defender and a menace in transition, which is exactly what Brad Stevens said he wanted to add once the season concluded. Although Giannis would have been the ultimate answer to the woes he mentioned, these two draft picks actively contribute to the need for more dunks and consistency in the restricted area going forward, as well as adding to an already stifling defense.
I love this draft for the individual attributes of both players, as well as acting on the mantras Brad preached, but I also love the coaches the players came from.
These guys have come from esteemed, meticulously created cultures and have been shaped by time-tested regimes and Hall of Fame coaches. They know how to win and understand it’s a skill at the highest level.
