Boston Celtics fans might be getting a little too excited about Chris Cenac Jr.

A 49-second clip of the Celtics rookie at a pickup game in New York City went viral this week. In it, Cenac was seen creating his own shot, knocking down some jumpers and running picture-perfect pick-and-rolls with Trae Young.

A post featuring Cenac’s highlights has reached almost three million impressions on X.

7 footer moving like this ain’t normal man

Brad got the steal of the draft pic.twitter.com/BQJDi7Vp97

— jb (@lockedupjb) September 17, 2026

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So Chris Cenac Jr. is going to win Rookie of the Year?

Not so fast, my friend.

This is your reminder that the Celtics selected Cenac with the No. 27 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Some analysts viewed the selection as a reach because of Cenac’s raw skill set.

Cenac only played one season of college basketball at Houston. He started 36 of 37 games while averaging 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.5 blocks. He wasn’t the most efficient scorer, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3 as a freshman. 

Still, Cenac has great size and a unique skill set for a 6-11 big man. Boston was drawn to that combination.

“He’s just a good young player,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said. “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.”

Late first-round picks aren’t often expected to make an immediate impact, so you can’t blame Celtics fans for getting excited to see Cenac look like he’s ready to contribute from Day 1. Of course, workout videos can be highly misleading. Cenac also had the benefit of playing with Young, one of the NBA’s best playmakers. He’s made a career out of making bigs look good.

So, no, the video isn’t proof that Boston found a steal at No. 27. But it’s easy to understand why Celtics fans are excited to see Cenac flash the size, mobility and skill that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place.

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