Utah Jazz Have Found the Perfect Role for Brice Sensabaugh

In the process of the Utah Jazz's post-All-Star break stretch, several injuries to the rotation and starting lineup have allowed Will Hardy and the rest of his staff to hand a bigger share of minutes and get a closer look at a few key pieces of the roster's young, budding talent.

One of those names to get a jump in opportunity––and succeed in the process––is third-year wing Brice Sensabaugh. In his last 10 games of the season since March 11th, his averages are up to a staggering 25.2 points a night on 52.8% shooting from the field, an extremely efficient 46.2% behind the arc, pairing with 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

A lot of those strong results have been due to one notable improvement to his game offensively: his catch-and-shoot ability; something head coach Will Hardy had notable praise for as his biggest improvement before facing the Houston Rockets on Friday.

"Brice's biggest improvement is getting catch-and-shoots off," Hardy said pregame. "Shooting is a great weapon for him. Brice, coming into the NBA, for sure more of a scorer than a shooter. A very high-level shooter, but probably would identify more as a scorer."

"For us now, and moving forward, if Brice gets a catch-and-shoot, we want him to shoot it... For Brice, my dream is that if there's a game where people never close all the way to him, he leaves the gym and has shot 10 catch-and-shoot threes and never took a dribble, never had to."

Jazz head coach Will Hardy on where Brice Sensabaugh has grown the most this season:

🗣️"Brice's biggest improvement is getting catch-and-shoots off..."

"For us now, and moving forward, if Brice gets a catch-and-shoot, we want him to shoot it." pic.twitter.com/iSxSirUT5W
— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) April 4, 2026

Brice Sensabaugh Becoming Clear Catch-and-Shoot Threat

Since the Jazz's lineup has been so depleted without key scorers like Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen, Sensabaugh, similarly to Ace Bailey, has been a primary beneficiary to claim more looks from the field because of it, but also has been able get shots outside of just his floor spacing.

Once transitioning to the 2026-27 campaign, though, that role will be a little bit different. Everyone's bound to be back healthy, Sensabaugh's minutes and shots will shrink from the 18.0 FGA he's gotten in his past 10 games, and will have to impact the game offensively in whatever his role calls for.

Mar 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) reacts after a shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Therefore, finding his niche as a catch-and-shoot threat is able to make Sensabaugh's fit within Utah's rotation easy to pinpoint next season once everyone is healthy: a spark plug floor spacer who can be a versatile lineup fit, but can also light it up on the right night.

In Hardy's mind, Sensabaugh is well aware that his shooting ability is how his opportunities will come, and is a large component of why he's worked hard to get that part of his game refined all season.

"But, it's about reading and understanding that each game's different, each opponent's different. You're going to be asked and have to do different things night to night. I think Brice has settled in more to his catch-and-shoot as his opportunity has become more consistent. There's a little bit less anxiousness, and kind of just letting it come to him."

Rather than being a jack-of-all-trades scorer like he was in college entering the league, it might actually be Sensabaugh's specialization as a consistent shooter from outside that keeps him within the Jazz's core for the long haul.