Chris Cenac Jr. has quickly made a name for himself in the short time since the Boston Celtics drafted him 27th overall last month.

The rookie introduced himself to the Celtics with an impressive Summer League where he averaged 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game.

With the conclusion of Summer League, there is some downtime until the start of training camp in September, so Cenac has decided to use that time by giving back to his community by hosting a basketball camp in New Orleans.

Cenac is from southern Louisiana where he wants to be a role model for kids chasing similar dreams to the one he had of playing pro ball. He wants the kids to look up to him and realize that somebody from the same place as them can make it.

“I remember Greg Monroe had a camp out here one time and I was there. I was probably about 7, 8 years-old. That was the first thing I thought about- the feeling I had when I was at his camp and looking up to him. I want all these kids to look up to me… and know that coming from New Orleans, your dreams could come true.”

Cenac is now teammates with veteran NBA champion Mitchell Robinson, who’s also from southern Louisiana, and he’s looking forward to getting know Robinson and talk about their upbringing in Louisiana.

“I mean, that’s pretty cool that we both came from South Louisiana. That’s something that we’re definitely going to talk about a little bit more… we’re definitely going to have more conversations when the season comes around.”

Cenac is poised to have a role for the Celtics as a rookie. His defensive capabilities as a rim protector stands out and I think that’s where he’ll make his biggest impact in his first year.

He’s confident in what he brings to the table and has a message for the teams that passed on him in the NBA Draft.

“All the teams that passed up on me, I’m looking forward to those games. That’s all I got to say.”

It’s great to see Cenac already making contributions off the court as he begins his career with the Celtics.

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