Jazz's Brice Sensabaugh Sounds Off on Roster's Exciting Young Core

The Utah Jazz look to have a bright future ahead.

Mar 31, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (right) dribbles / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the blowout loss on Sunday night, the Utah Jazz still managed to make some team history before the game even tipped off against the Sacramento Kings.

As coach Will Hardy prepared for this contest, he sent out a lineup consisting of Utah's three rookies, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh, alongside second-year center Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton. Effectively, it was deemed the team's youngest starting lineup in franchise history.

Without the services of Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson in the rotation, as they deal with injury, it's expected that the Jazz to capitalize on their chances at the development and progression of young players. While the Jazz did inevitably suffer a 21-point loss, the youth showed some flashes of production and were able to gain valuable experience on the floor.

After hearing of the historic feat, the Jazz rookie Brice Sensabaugh commented on Hardy's decision to start such a youthful lineup, attributing it to their squad's hard work and dedication.

"I think that's crazy," Sensabuagh said. "All three of us work really hard. … We get to the gym first, working extra hours. Just going through that together, really struggling and getting it from square one, has helped us thus far, and we're going to keep doing what we're doing now. … Just keep building on that, keep getting experience, and playing against these good teams."

Sensabaugh ended the game with a team-high 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals on 6-14 shooting from the field. Since being elevated from the G-League ranks and the Salt Lake City Stars midway through this season, Brice has been a strong scorer when given the green light and continues to prove the Jazz got a steal with the 28th pick in last year's draft.

Alongside Sensabaugh, we saw the other two rookies, Keyonte (18 points, two rebounds, two assists) and Hendricks (18 points, three rebounds, one assist), pitch in for some respectable numbers as well. Sacramento was simply too much on the offensive end in the second half to counter to secure a win, but these reps against talented teams are great for any young players seeking extensive experience.

With a projected top-ten pick on the horizon for Utah, expect for this young core to keep bolstering their talent during this summer en route to building a roster with sustainable success for the foreseeable future.

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