Celtics NBA Draft 2026: Boston Takes Chris Cenac Jr. at 27 and Dillon Mitchell at 40

The Celtics NBA Draft 2026 is in the books. Boston held picks at No. 27 and No. 40 heading into Wednesday night, and they used both on athletic, switchable frontcourt players with strong defensive upside. No splashy trades. No surprises in the lottery. Just a disciplined pair of selections that fit what Brad Stevens has been building.

Here is who the Celtics came away with and what to expect from both.

Celtics NBA Draft Pick No. 27: Chris Cenac Jr. From Houston

The Celtics NBA Draft class starts with Chris Cenac Jr., the 6-foot-11 big man from the University of Houston who Boston took with the 27th overall pick in the first round.

Cenac is physically impressive. He stands 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and carries 240 pounds on a frame that still has room to fill out. He was a top-10 recruit in his class coming out of Link Academy in Missouri as a McDonald’s All-American. He is 19 years old and will not turn 20 until February, which means Boston is buying development time here.

His freshman year at Houston was productive for a player his age. Cenac averaged 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game across 37 appearances, starting all but one. He shot 55 percent on two-point field goals and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Houston reached the Sweet 16 with him in the lineup.

Scouts point to his length and defensive potential as the core selling points. His 7-foot-5 wingspan and elite recovery speed make him a natural rim protector. He can anchor a defense, contest shots without fouling, and switch onto smaller players when needed. On offense, he showed the ability to finish at the rim at a high rate, though his three-point shooting needs consistency before it becomes a reliable weapon.

The honest read on this Celtics NBA Draft pick is that Cenac is raw. He is an 18-year-old college freshman who was still learning how to play at the Houston level. But his ceiling is real, and Boston is a franchise that has consistently developed young big men well. The tools are there.

Celtics NBA Draft Pick No. 40: Dillon Mitchell From St. John’s

The second Celtics NBA Draft selection Wednesday night was Dillon Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 wing out of St. John’s taken with the 40th overall pick in the second round. This pick was anything but an afterthought.

The Boston front office has had Mitchell on their radar since November 2022, when vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren traveled to Texas to scout a Longhorns game against Gonzaga. Mitchell was a freshman playing his third career college game. That is nearly four years of scouting trail for a second-round pick, which tells you how seriously Boston viewed him as a prospect.

Mitchell’s college path was winding. A five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy in Florida, he played two seasons at Texas before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024, then moved again to St. John’s for his final college year. At St. John’s he averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists and earned All-Big East Third Team, All-Defensive Team, and All-Tournament Team honors.

At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and 205 pounds, Mitchell fits the mold of the switchable, versatile defender Boston prizes. He is a strong finisher and lob threat in the paint, and his defensive footwork lets him guard multiple positions. He is 22 years old and more physically developed than Cenac, which means a shorter ramp-up time before he can contribute to a rotation.

For a second-round pick, Mitchell has legitimate upside. Four years of dedicated scouting invested in a 40th overall pick is not how Boston treats a dart throw.

The Celtics NBA Draft this year was quiet by design. No big trades. No lottery drama. Just two big men who defend, finish, and have real development pathways ahead of them. Whether either becomes a meaningful rotation piece depends on how they adjust to the NBA level, but as Celtics NBA Draft classes go, this one looks solid on paper.

What do you think of the Celtics NBA Draft picks this year? Drop your take in the comments.