Jazz Rookie First-Rounder Sends Message With Explosive G-League Debut

The Utah Jazz have to be thrilled by Brice Sensabaugh's G-League debut.

The Salt Lake City Stars opened up their G-League season on the road in Santa Cruz as they fell to the Warriors affiliate, 129-115. Despite the loss, it was the first chance for Utah Jazz fans to get an extended look at rookies Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh. 

Sensabaugh, in particular, gave Jazz fans a glimpse of something to be excited about down the road. Hendricks, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, had five points, two rebounds, and two blocks on 1-of-4 shooting in the contest. Unfortunately, he played just 15 minutes before being ruled out due to sickness.

Sensabaugh came to Utah via the No. 28 pick in this year's draft, a selection the Jazz acquired in the Royce O’Neale trade. The Ohio State product was one of the most prolific scorers in his lone college season, averaging slightly over 16 points in just 24 minutes per game. 

Sensabaugh was projected to be drafted as high as the lottery but fell into Utah's lap mainly due to injury concerns that teams shied away from. He delivered in a big way in his first real game action in over eight months. He dropped a near triple-double of 27 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, and two steals on 11-of-24 shooting to go along with five three-point makes.

Brice Sensabaugh in his G-League debut:

27 PTS
8 AST
8 REB
2 STL
5 TO’s

11/24 FG
5/12 3P

Bucket. pic.twitter.com/yrQSV3Cbgd

— AJ (@AJ3Jazz) November 12, 2023

We’ve always known that Sensabaugh can score in an efficient manner. Last season, he boasted a player efficiency rating (PER) of 26.4, an extremely impressive number for anyone, let alone a freshman. 

This came while shooting 48% from the field and 40.5% from deep on high volume. Sensabaugh can put the ball in the hoop and showed us just that last night.

A major takeaway from the game was the way Sensabaugh passed the ball. After averaging just over one assist per game in college, Sensabaugh ripped off eight assists, a number of them being high-level dimes. 

Whether it was on-target lobs to the rim, one-handed skip passes off a drive, or just the right read off the dribble, Sensabaugh did an excellent job sharing the wealth. It’s very likely that this is a skill he's always had, and he just wasn’t asked to do it at Ohio State. It’s clear that he has a natural feel as a passer.

A big debut for the Rookie ✨

📊 28-8-8#ItStartsHere pic.twitter.com/QXJVtH2Ieh

— Salt Lake City Stars (@slcstars) November 12, 2023

It wasn’t a perfect debut; Sensabaugh turned the ball over five times (a theme that Jazz fans know all too well), and had some lapses on the defensive end of the court. The turnovers are something that will likely be cleaned up as he gets more repetitions, creating with the ball in his hands. 

What it Means

Defensively, Sensabaugh is going to have to take strides in order to convince Will Hardy that he’s ready for big-league minutes. The plus is that at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, he has the frame to defend at the NBA level.

All in all, it was a successful showing for Sensabaugh. If he continues to play this well offensively, he’s going to make a case that he should be getting rotation minutes for a struggling Jazz team. 

Sensabaugh's ability to create off the dribble, knock down open shots, and find teammates is going to be a valuable skill set for the Jazz going forward. For now, we’ll keep tabs on how well the rookie continues to develop. Sensabaugh, Hendricks, and the rest of the Stars will be in action again on Monday night.

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