There's reason to be optimistic about the Golden State Warriors' chances in the Play-In Tournament, especially now that Stephen Curry, Gui Santos, and Al Horford have returned to action.
But let's be realistic here. Winning two games on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers and whoever loses the 7/8-seed matchup will be difficult enough. Coming out of those matchups and facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder will be an impossible task.
The sincere hope should be that Curry gets his shot in the playoffs this season. But anything beyond that seems extremely unrealistic. The Warriors, at most, have until the end of the month before they must face their playoff fate.
It's not unexpected at this point. It will, however, be a disastrous ending to the penultimate season on Curry's current contract.
But the ultimate consolation prize could be looming in the 2026 NBA Draft. Even if Golden State doesn't strike gold in the draft lottery (they have a 9.4% chance to jump into the top four if they fail to advance out of the Play-In), they will have a high draft pick to try to bring an immediate contributor into the fold.
Chris Cenac Jr. out of Houston could be the perfect option.
The Warriors could get an enticing prospect even at 15th overall
The Warriors are in a peculiar position for a potential lottery team. As long as Curry is on the roster, they need pieces who can immediately contribute to a championship push. They also are in sore need of an additional, physical presence in the frontcourt after they moved on from Jonathan Kuminga in their mid-season trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
Cenac would be an appealing prospect if they stay put at 15th overall. Through 37 games with the University of Houston, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists, knocking down 48.5% of his shots from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.
At 6'11" and 240 lbs, he primarily played center during his time at Houston. But he has the mobility and the defensive versatility to play the four-spot, switching out onto wings at the perimeter while also possessing the height and vertical quickness to be a capable rim-protector.
He was the anchor of a top-four college defense (per KenPom), and his 92.2 defensive rating led the entire Big 12.
CBS Sports' latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft, drawn up by Adam Finkelstein, has the Warriors selecting Cenac at 15th overall. Even though Golden State is likely lined up for a deeply disappointing run in the postseason, Cenac could quickly become the ultimate consolation prize.