Should Warriors take swing on Chris Cenac Jr. in loaded 2026 NBA Draft?

The plan always was for Chris Cenac Jr. to compete for a championship in his one season at Houston and be a one-and-done player taken at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft.Recruiting services had the same kind of thinking as Cenac. The Big Four of this year’s draft – AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson – along with Nate Ament, were the only five players ranked ahead of him by ESPN in the Class of 2025. Cenac was seen as more of a sure-fire freshman prospect than his Houston teammate Kingston Flemings, along with Darius Acuff Jr. and Mikel Brown Jr., all of which are expected to go higher than Cenac in next week’s draft. “There was a lot of things I needed to improve at in my game,” Cenac said Monday after his pre-draft workout for the Warriors at Chase Center, “like motor, physicality, defense. I feel like I improved a lot in those areas at Houston and I feel like I’m ready for the next step, for sure.” Former Houston Cougar LJ Cryer was at Chase Center getting work in on Monday as well. The two said hi to each other, but the young big man didn’t want to get in Cryer’s way too much. He knew better after even one season coached by Kelvin Sampson. When Cryer, undrafted a year ago, impressed the Warriors and earned a two-way contract last season, Sampson was a constant talking point. Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew Cryer was well prepared to be a pro under the leadership of someone like Sampson. Though the two couldn’t be more different players, and they’re more than five years apart in age, Sampson is the kind of coach that can build a foundation for a project like Cenac to shine when he’s ready. “In every aspect,” Cenac said Monday when asked how Sampson has prepared him for the NBA. “The physicality, just how hard you plan, bringing that intensity every single time you’re on the court. He prepared me very well. I feel like I made the right decision going to Houston.” Cenac put up a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in his college debut against Lehigh. He grabbed 13 rebounds his next game, but scored just two points on 1-of-8 shooting and was 0 of 3 from 3-point range against Towson. In a nutshell, that’s how Cenac’s freshman season went. There were highs, there were lows and there were inconsistencies for a 19-year-old who isn’t close to touching his ceiling.Through Cenac’s first five games, he made multiple 3-pointers in three of them. But he then reached that feat only six times in 32 games the rest of the season. Cenac recorded 14 games of double-digit rebounds, but only six of those were double-doubles, and he made more than three free throws in just two games. During a three-game losing streak near the end of the regular season against Iowa State, Arizona and Kansas, Cenac averaged 8.7 points and 10.7 rebounds, but didn’t block a single shot, had one steal and went 2 of 14 on threes. He opened the Big 12 tournament averaging 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in wins against BYU and Kansas, going 3 of 4 from three against the Jayhawks, but had five points, four rebounds and four fouls in a championship game loss against Arizona. For his one season at Houston, Cenac started 36 of the 37 games he played and averaged 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent on threes and 62.1 percent at the free-throw line. Then at the NBA draft combine, Cenac showcased elite dimensions for a 4 and 5 at over 6-foot-10 barefoot and 240 pounds (up 20 pounds since his last game at Houston), with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Cenac likes to watch Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Naz Reid the most as pros he can model his game after. “Those 6-10, 6-11 versatile guys,” Cenac said. “Can pretty much do it all on the floor: Rebound, defend, do whatever the team needs them to do.” Cenac also can already envision how he’d find success on the Warriors.“Giving all the guys on the team, [Steph Curry], space in the paint and having strong defense,” Cenac said. “With my matchup, defending, rebounding and doing whatever it is that Steve Kerr and our organization would need me to do.” His 92.2 defensive rating led the entire Big 12 and ranked eighth nationally. Cenac’s measurements are what teams dream of. He has gone through eight pre-draft workouts and already has accepted an invitation to the green room to be in New York for the first round of the draft. However, he likely won’t be an option for the Warriors at No. 11. Maybe that changes if his workout did indeed go as well as he says it did. “Workout went great,” Cenac said. “Amazing workout, great organization. Had a lot of fun of competing. Overall, a 10 out of 10.” Trading back or finding a way to get another first-round pick is a very real option for the Warriors. Cenac doesn’t graduate from being a teenager until Feb. 1. Trusting the tutelage of Sampson and the many skills in Cenac’s bag, he fits the mold of taking a swing with another crack at a loaded draft.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Should Warriors take swing on Chris Cenac Jr. in loaded 2026 NBA Draft?

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