​LAS VEGAS — Chris Cenac Jr. wasn’t 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 Boston’s 102-90 loss to the Hawks.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThrough 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. He’s really mobile, he can move. It’s 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 Boston’s depth chart, the Celtics know they can take a long-term approach with Cenac’s 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.BETTING: The Celtics are currently sitting at +220 on DraftKings to win the Atlantic Division during the 2026-27 NBA campaign. Our in-depth DraftKings Sportsbook review provides a helpful guide on how to use their app.“I hope we’re good enough that it’s 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 that’s great but there won’t be any expectation of that. From my standpoint there certainly is probably a lot of excitement and expectation.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCenac Jr. will get two more chances to continue that growth this summer starting on Wednesday night against the Kings.Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.