LAS VEGAS — For Chris Cenac Jr., it’s rim protection. For Dillon Mitchell, 3-point shooting.
The Celtics’ 2026 draft picks have spent their first NBA Summer League subverting two of their biggest pre-draft concerns.
Cenac, the 19-year-old big man Boston selected 27th overall last month, blocked just 18 shots in 37 games at Houston last season. He’s already halfway to that total through three Summer League games, rejecting four shots in the Celtics’ tournament opener against Toronto, one against Charlotte on Sunday and another four against Atlanta on Monday.
“That’s something that they’ve been preaching to me since I’ve gotten here that I need to do,” Cenac said after his team’s 102-90 loss to the Hawks at the Pavilion. “And I’m the player that’s going to do whatever it takes, whatever the organization needs me to do, so that’s something I’m emphasizing in my game while I’m on the court.”
His unimpressive shot-blocking totals in college were, the 6-foot-11 Cenac noted, partially a result of the role he played with the Cougars. Houston typically deployed him as a power forward in a double-big lineup, with center JoJo Tugler serving as the team’s primary rim protector.
“While I was at Houston, that’s just something that I didn’t really need to do that much,” he said.
Cenac has seen minutes at both the four and the five for the Celtics in Las Vegas, teaming up with Amari Williams in some of his shifts and playing as the lone big in others.
With Williams sitting out against Atlanta on the second day of a back-to-back, Cenac started at center for the first time and, after slogging through a rough first half against fellow rookie Henri Veesaar, came alive after halftime to finish with 16 points and five rebounds to go along with his four rejections.
“I know I’ve just got to go out there and play physical,” Cenac said. “That’s something I’m also emphasizing in my game: while I’m on the floor, play physical and protect the rim.”
Two of Cenac’s second-half blocks came on the same Hawks possession, with the second springing Mitchell for a fast-break layup.
Mitchell, Boston’s second-round pick (40th overall), was a dangerous transition threat at St. John’s. The 6-foot-7 wing also was one of the top perimeter defenders in his draft class, with rare athleticism that immediately captured the attention of the Celtics’ front office. His shooting, however, was a glaring red flag that prevented him from reaching his collegiate potential as the fifth-ranked recruit in the class of 2022.
As a senior with the Red Storm, Mitchell attempted 15 threes and made just one, in the final game of the season. Overall, he shot 11-for-57 from deep (19.3%) across four college seasons at three schools.
But in the early days of his Celtics tenure, the 22-year-old has looked capable in that area. He’s a respectable 3-for-8 from 3-point range (37.5%) through three Summer League outings, hitting two against the Hornets and one against the Hawks.
Celtics assistant Craig Luschenat — whom Summer League head coach Amile Jefferson called the best player development coach in the NBA — has worked with Mitchell to tweak his shooting form, instructing him to release the ball during his ascent, rather than at the top of his jump. Boston also has encouraged Mitchell not to pass up open shots — a Joe Mazzulla mandate during the season — and the rookie has obliged, launching 20 field-goal attempts against Charlotte and 10 against Atlanta.
“I’ve always been confident,” Mitchell said. “I always just try to make winning plays. So, if there’s some teams that I’m on where I don’t need to be shooting, I need to try to get to other things. That’s what I’m gonna do. And in this case, you know, they want me to be comfortable and confident in shooting the ball as far as all the other things I do as well. So I’ve always had the confidence just by going out there and hearing them have the confidence in me as well, and just going out there and playing playing my game.”
Three games is far too small a sample size to declare Mitchell’s shooting problems solved. But if he can be even passable on that front, he has a chance to earn a real role for the Celtics — and do so sooner than the still-developing Cenac.
Mitchell showcased that potential when he racked up 24 points, seven offensive rebounds, six steals and two blocks in Sunday’s 87-75 win over the Hornets.
“When he’s playing with that kind of pop, he’s going to be really good,” Jefferson said. “And then any time he gets an open three, he should shoot it.”
The Celtics signed Cenac to a standard rookie contract after the draft. Mitchell, meanwhile, remains unsigned. It’s unclear whether the Celtics plan to give him a two-way contract, as is the case with most second-round picks, or plug him into the final open spot on their 15-man roster, which they opened by releasing guard Dalano Banton last week.
Boston is not required to fill its 15th roster spot — the team kept it vacant entering each of the last three seasons — but it does have the salary cap space to sign Mitchell to a standard deal and remain under the luxury tax line if it so chooses.
“We want to have long careers, and we’re not here to try to be superstars right from the jump,” Mitchell said of himself and Cenac. “It’s just about developing and getting better every day.”