Chris Cenac Jr. & Dillon Mitchell reflect on hilarious Summer League moment

Chris Cenac Jr. caught the attention of Boston Celtics fans everywhere with his performance in the team’s Summer League opener. His 14-point, 10-rebound double-double was a real sign of what can be expected of him throughout the Las Vegas circuit.

Loud dunks, big rebounds, a quartet of blocks, and a game-tying three -- Cenac Jr.’s highlights were plentiful on Friday.

Maybe the second biggest highlight, behind the clutch corner jumper, of course, had to be his ambitious putback dunk attempt in the third quarter. The 19-year-old lurked around the perimeter as Curtis Jones fired up a three. He charged down the lane and skied for the rebound and slam, only narrowly missing an opportunity to baptize fellow rookie Dillon Mitchell.

“He almost took me out on a putback,” Mitchell laughed as he told reporters at Saturday’s practice. “I can understand how other people feel when I do it now.”

Mitchell’s athleticism, for what it’s worth, was impossible not to notice in the overtime win over the Raptors. His first act as a Celtic was an insane chasedown block in transition. Then he skied for a putback jam that captivated the entire Cox Pavillion crowd in the closing minutes of the first half.

When watching his college tape after Boston drafted him last month, the sheer amount of poster dunks and transition throwdowns made for an exciting viewing experience.

Celtics avoided disaster as both men hit the floor

Anyways, Cenac’s near-slam whizzed past the net and bounced out of bounds as both he and Mitchell hit the hardwood. The play was likely scored an offensive rebound and a turnover or missed shot, but it did give us this fantastic still that, in a few years, you’ll be able to tell people was a nasty friendly-fire poster dunk.

“Yeah, we had fell on top of each other there,” Cenac grinned while keeping a professional demeanor. “But you know he definitely said if he wasn't there that would have went in.”

He’s right, honestly. All of Cenac’s momentum came to a screeching halt when he bumped into Mitchell, but he had more than enough air to convert the loud bucket.

Most importantly, neither player came up hurt on what was a pretty dangerous collision. In a spot like that, the jumper is basically defenseless and could be at serious risk of a hard fall.

Both Cenac and Mitchell will be in action on Sunday afternoon when the summer Celtics get back after it against the Charlotte Hornets.

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