Ex-Buckeye Brice Sensabaugh Praised by Jazz, Ready to 'Stay Healthy' in the NBA
The Ohio State Buckeyes may not produce as much NBA talent as their football team does NFL, but that doesn't mean there aren't some standout prospects to come from the Schottenstein Center.
Most recently, the San Antonio Spurs' Malaki Branham made some noise in his rookie year, and before that, current Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell carved a place for himself among the league's best playmakers and shot creators.
Go back far enough and you'd even find Greg Oden — the former Portland Trailblazers No. 1 overall pick in 2007. His career didn't pan out the way most thought it would after injuries derailed his chances at winning a championship or two alongside Bill Walton and Brandon Roy.
Though it's not nearly as serious to this point, former Ohio State guard Brice Sensabaugh has also dealt with injuries throughout his basketball career.
A season-ending knee surgery in March was the most recent example, which prevented Sensabaugh from participating in both the postseason and the NBA combine. Fortunately, that didn't stop the 19-year-old from getting drafted Thursday night, when he went No. 28 overall to the Utah Jazz.
And now, he's ready to get back to playing basketball ... this time in the pros.
"I’m feeling great," Sensabaugh said after being selected in the first round. "It’s going to be ... super important for me to continue to take care of my body. My body is my job, basically, so I’m just going to continue to work on that [and] stay healthy."
Sensabaugh rounded out Utah's three-man draft class, set to join UCF's Taylor Hendricks and Baylor's Keyonte George next season, though his draft placement was a pleasant surprise to the Jazz's front office.
"At [pick No.] 28, we got a player that we had in our top 18," Jazz GM Justin Zanik said. "That was really good. He fell to us, and so [we're] excited to have a guy that ... makes and takes NBA pro shots."
If shot selection was a big part of Sensabaugh's selection, it makes sense why he made the first-round cut. Last season, the freshman led the Buckeyes in points per game while shooting over 40 percent from 3-point land — on top of a near 50 percent clip from the field as a whole.
His versatility as a defender was also a reason he drew the Jazz's interest, though it wasn't close to the only thing the Utah-based team found impressive about him.
“He’s got a body that you can’t teach,” Zanik said. “He’s very gifted athletically. We’ve got to do some molding in terms of him getting stronger and leaning out a little bit, but he can do so many things with the ball. He’s an underrated passer and he’s smart, too.”
It's safe to say that Sensabaugh feels he deserves the praise, however.
“I think my defensive potential is great,” Sensabaugh said. “It’s something that’s slept on, for sure. Obviously, it’s a big jump to the NBA, but it’s something that has been the A1 focus for me and I’m looking forward to being an elite two-way player at the next level.”
Deserved or not, Sensabaugh will be looking to become the next great Buckeye in the NBA. He's got a long road ahead of him, but with a solid opportunity to grow under veterans like Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker and reigning Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen, he definitely has a chance.
Now, it's up to him to take advantage of it.
Sensabaugh and the rest of Utah's 2023 draft class will make their Jazz debut during the NBA's annual Summer League, set to take place in Las Vegas from July 7-17. Game 1 will be against the LA Clippers on July 8 at 10 p.m. EST on ESPN2.
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