With the conclusion of the NBA summer league for the Boston Celtics, fans should be excited for the future of the team's most recent draft selections. Both Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell showed promising signs in the games they played.
Each player had different paths in getting to the NBA, with Cenac playing one year for the Houston Cougars. Conversely, Mitchell played four seasons in college, finishing his career with the St. John's Red Storm.
So, how did they fare during summer league?
Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell flashed during summer league
Let's start with how Mitchell played. Mitchell appeared in the Celtics' first three games of the summer league before sitting out the final two games. In the three games, he averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds, while adding 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks.
His best game was the second game against the Charlotte Hornets, in which Mitchell scored 24 points (10-20), with eight rebounds and six steals. Coming into the NBA, the biggest question mark for the Florida native would be his shooting, which was his biggest struggle in college. Going off of summer league, he's already taken strides to improve it.
After going 11-57 (19.3) from three in his career and 1-15 (6.7) in his final season, Mitchell shot 3-8 (37.5) from three in his three games. Obviously, the sample size is small, but it is encouraging to see him already look better and more confident from three. Along with his shooting improvements, Mitchell showed the defense and athleticism that helped him get drafted.
Moving on to Cenac, he appeared in Boston's first four games before sitting out the final game against the Orlando Magic. Cenac's offense is still a work in progress, shooting 36.6% from the field and 27.3% from three while averaging 10.5 points per game. What we did see was what makes him an interesting prospect, as his jump shot looks good, and he flashed some self-creation. Getting Cenac more reps for his offense should be the main priority for him next season.
On the defensive side, Cenac made his mark. He was one of the best rebounders in college last season, and that carried over into summer league, averaging 8 rebounds per game, with two double-doubles. An area of concern for the 19-year-old as a center was his low block numbers, but in summer league, he averaged 2.8 blocks per game. His athleticism was also on display, with him making multiple defensive plays because of it.
Heading into the regular season, what do things look like for Cenac and Mitchell?
Regular season projections for Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell
Looking at Mitchell, I'd expect him to mostly play in Maine this season. Though he's shown improvement, letting him play in Maine is the best for him next season. Not only that, the Celtics forward group has a lot of guys who could see time, making it tougher for Mitchell to crack the rotation. While I think he'll play most of the season in Maine, he could earn the Celtics' last roster spot instead of a two-way, since he wouldn't trigger the luxury tax and give Boston another two-way spot instead.
Cenac's spot is more interesting. While I wouldn't be shocked to see him play in some games, I don't expect him to see consistent minutes. Outside of Hugo Gonzalez last season, the Celtics, under head coach Joe Mazzulla, haven't played rookies a ton. Given some of the health concerns with both Paul George and Mitchell Robinson, Cenac could play in some games (outside of garbage time), but I don't think he'll be a consistent rotation member.
Even though it might not be right away, both Cenac and Mitchell showed reasons why they could be contributors in Boston someday during the summer league.
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