Chris Cenac Jr. was discouraged he went 27th. Kelvin Sampson, his college coach, thinks the Celtics are an ideal fit. – The Boston Globe
But when Sampson attended the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando two summers ago, an event that featured the top two picks of last June’s draft, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, he could not take his eyes off the lesser-known big man, Chris Cenac Jr.
“A lot of these players play one or two games, then sit,” Sampson said in a recent telephone interview. “Chris played every single game, including the last day, when not many kids were left. Chris’s best days might have been the last two days. He rebounded, he ran the floor, he competed, and he tried to win. I just loved his attitude.”
Cenac, a New Orleans native who was about to begin his senior year of high school, averaged 18.6 points and 11.4 rebounds and was named the camp’s most valuable player. His subsequent ascension was rapid.
He became a McDonald’s All-American and Houston’s top-rated recruit of at least the last 20 years. He helped the Cougars to their fifth consecutive 30-win season, and in June, the Celtics drafted him 27th.
Sampson knows Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens from his time as Butler’s coach, and the two spoke frequently in the months leading up to the draft. Sampson says Stevens is an excellent evaluator, so he didn’t need to tell him much about Cenac’s basketball abilities, but he focused on his character and work ethic.
On draft night, when teams Cenac had worked out for such as the 76ers, Raptors, and Knicks passed on him, Cenac seemed discouraged to Sampson. But the coach told him the night had a favorable result.
“I said, ‘Chris, I’m glad those teams didn’t take you,’ ” he said. “Then when Boston took him, I said, ‘They believe in you, Chris. You went to the right team.’ Brad Stevens is one of the best basketball people in the world, and I’ve been so impressed with [coach] Joe Mazzulla.”
Sampson told Cenac how the Celtics have thrived over the past decade with floor-spacing big men such as Al Horford, and he praised Boston’s ability to incubate talent.
“There’s a reason why the best organizations have the best cultures, because things like that matter,” said Sampson, who saw the same qualities when he was an adviser for the Spurs in 2008. “Little things like that are big things when it comes to work ethic and getting better.
“I don’t know that [Payton] Pritchard would be a great player everywhere, but he made it in Boston, and I don’t think it was a coincidence that it was in Boston. Jayson Tatum is going to be good everywhere, but some of those other guys might not be. I think Chris can develop there.”
Sampson said Cenac was a raw talent when he arrived at Houston. It was not immediately obvious whether he should play power forward or center, but the Cougars slotted him at forward because they returned big man Joseph Tugler, the starter on their 2024-25 national runner-up team.
The 6-foot-11-inch Cenac shot 33.3 percent from the 3-point line last season, but Sampson says he has the mechanics and touch to develop a shot that will eventually go in more often. Sampson was most encouraged that when Cenac’s attempts did carom off the rim, the results never affected his effort or focus in other areas, such as rebounding.
“That bodes well for his future,” Sampson said. “But Chris is going to be a 37-39 percent shooter. He’s got a great release, and the ball comes off his fingertips with a good rotation and a good arc, and he’s a worker. He’s not like a guard who has been shooting threes his whole life.”
Sampson said he was hard on Cenac at times and emphasized the importance of perfecting details. Sometimes, teenagers who are months away from becoming NBA players react to nitpicks by scoffing. But Sampson said that Cenac always looked him directly in the eyes and soaked up advice and criticism, even if it was harsh.
“He’d just say, ‘My fault, Coach. My fault. I’ll try to do better,’ ” Sampson said. “He said that for 10 months . . . He’s one of the players I wish I could have coached a little longer. But I’m happy he’s having this opportunity, because he deserves it.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.