Top Performance Series: Brice Sensabaugh

Breaking down the Ohio State freshman in a mid-January game vs Rutgers.

The idea behind the top performance series is to go back and watch the best, or one of the best, box score games of each prospect's season to see how they looked when they were performing at their highest individual level and what that might show us about their ceiling as a prospect.

This wasn’t Brice Sensabaugh’s highest scoring output but it was a 20-point double-double performance against a top 10 defense in the country according to Kenpom. Not only did Sensabaugh hit that 20 point mark but did it on extreme efficiency.

Offense

Sensabaugh's offensive efficiency in this contest was led by his ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc where he made four on just six attempts from deep. This is absolutely the skill that the 6-foot-6 wing will be banking on to be his calling card when first entering the NBA. In this game alone he showcased his 3-point shooting ability in transition, off ball relocation, running off a screen and one after the game was no longer in doubt off the bounce.

Sensabaugh does project to be able to score from a second level of the floor but through much more difficult attempts.

It is always a slippery slope when watching players make these incredibly difficult mid range pull up jumpers. On one hand it is impressive shot making but on another it gives you pause about their ability to create separation and wonder if they can make those shots at an efficient rate.

The belief around this for Sensabaugh is the overall shooting touch and the physical frame he should be able to use to bully defenders to get to the exact spot he wants before rising up into his shot. That separation and lack of explosion is probably the biggest concern with the 19-year-old. He simply did not show the wiggle and explosion to pressure the defense all the way into the lane or at the rim.

In fairness, he was not working with an extremely well spaced floor and throughout the majority of the game he seemed to be an overall afterthought for his team on the offensive end.

Sensabaugh does have some growth with his passing. He seemed to have tunnel vision at times - which would be due to the lack of overall touches he got - and pre-determined the result of his plays. He is not selfish, though, and did flash a couple really nice passes. One a beautifully anticipated one more pass for a teammates wide open 3-point attempt and another hitting a teammate on a backdoor after having his drive cut off.

While he may never be a true creator there is also reason to believe that he isn’t a ball stopper and can contribute to the flow of the offense with more growth and development.

Defense

Expectations were low coming into this one based on all the conversation around the Orlando, FL natives defense but it wasn’t as negative as anticipated. There is absolutely room to grow with how quickly he recognizes and reacts to rotations but he did stay engaged throughout most of the game when off the ball.

He even had some beautiful stunts and recovers to aid teammates cutting off a drive along with multiple examples of communication with matchups and switches. The overall defensive rebounding was not quite as impactful for the season as a whole as it was in this particular game but with his size and frame it should be something he emphasizes to add value moving forward.

Unfortunately, there just weren’t many on ball possessions in this game to really discuss. That is obviously a major factor of what he can provide defensively and contribute to his overall ceiling that will have to be left unaccounted for.

Ceiling

Elite floor spacer with isolation upside and neutral defender.

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