Two Louisiana natives officially joined the NBA ranks Tuesday as they heard their names called in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Toronto Raptors selected former Ponchatoula star Allen Graves, a star sixth man this season as a redshirt freshman for Santa Clara, at No. 19 overall in this year’s class.
And former Isidore Newman star Chris Cenac Jr., who finished his prep career at Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) before a freshman season at Houston, wasn’t far behind at No. 27 to the Boston Celtics.
The two former state champions and LSWA all-state selections became the first Louisiana natives selected in the first round since Robert Williams III (North Caddo) and Jacob Evans (St. Michael the Archangel) in 2018. That class also included Aaron Holiday, who was born in Ruston but grew up primarily in Los Angeles.
Graves and Cenac were both among the leaders for NCAA Tournament teams in their lone active college seasons.
The Boston Celtics selected former Isidore Newman star Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 27 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Photo: ESPN Broadcast)
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocked shots and shot 51.2% from the floor, 41.3% from deep and 75.0% from the foul line for his Broncos.
He joins a Raptors franchise that took a big leap forward this year to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 with a 46-36 record and No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
“Graves is a big, long and skilled forward with an analytic-friendly profile that the Raptors covet,” according to his ESPN draft profile. “While this pick doesn’t directly address a need, Graves is versatile enough to mix and match with Toronto’s other front-court players, particularly if his shooting continues to improve.”
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Cenac averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocked shots while shooting 48.5% from the floor, 33.3% from deep and 62.1% from the line.
Boston managed an impressive 2025-26 season at the No. 2 seed in the East despite star Jayson Tatum missing most of the year recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
“Cenac is a project still forming his on-court identity, but he benefited from his year playing for a physical, demanding program at Houston,” according to his ESPN draft profile. “As a mobile big with the potential to space the floor and protect the rim, he could eventually fit an extremely valuable NBA archetype for a team willing to be patient. ”
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS (PER ESPN DRAFT PROFILES)
ALLEN GRAVES
Strengths: “Graves’ college production has popped heavily in NBA analytics models, due to his well-rounded play in a connective supporting role at Santa Clara. He’s a smart passer who is comfortable on the perimeter and made 41% of his 3s last season. He has good defensive awareness that helps compensate for his lack of quickness.”
Weaknesses: “He lacks ideal foot speed and explosiveness for an NBA player, which limits how he can create his own shot and muddies his projection on defense. He’s a capable but somewhat mechanical outside shooter at this stage.”
CHRIS CENAC JR.
Strengths: “Cenac has excellent length, moves fluidly for his size and has made strides as a rebounder. He has also flashed natural shooting touch, giving him an intriguing base for an NBA team to develop. At his age, bigs with this physical profile don’t come around in every draft.”
Weaknesses: “The idea of Cenac was often more intriguing than his actual output. He hasn’t been an efficient scorer and is still learning the game. He also didn’t block many shots in college, although that was partially due to his role at Houston, where he was asked to focus on rebounding.”