The Utah Jazz finally saw their third rookie, Brice Sensabaugh, get minutes.
Keyonte George is the rookie with the best chance of playing for the Utah Jazz. Taylor Hendricks is the rookie with the best chance of getting a teammate traded due to how well he plays. Brice Sensabaugh is the rookie everyone has forgotten about. After missing the Summer League and the first portion of the preseason, Sensabaugh finally made his Jazz debut against the New Zealand Breakers.
The rookie out of Ohio State has missed a lot of time dating back to his final months in Columbus due to a knee injury. He’s been rehabbing ever since and has finally been cleared for in-game action. Considering how far he’s come and the fact that he’s technically behind his teammates in terms of preparation, the fact he looked as good as he did is something to be commended.
He only shot 3-8 from the floor (0-2 from three), but he’s been away from high-level competition for nearly seven months. He’s going to take some time to get back into shape and admittedly, that’s probably why fans are sleeping on him.
At OSU, he was a beast; hitting 48% of his shots from the field, and nearly averaging 41% from three. He was hard to guard, and a great catch-and-shoot caliber player for the Jazz to use.
He may have the better potential of developing into a top-end talent with the Jazz than either of his fellow rookies; George or Hendricks. He’s just not been able to show off his skillset yet, while Hendricks came back to start the preseason and George has been full go since the Summer Leagues.
Now Sensabaugh will get his shot to showcase his skills, but due to his position, and the fact he’s behind the likes of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agabji, and Lauri Markkanen, he’s not likely to be the one rookie to get any real playing time this year.
Still, if the Utah Jazz make some trades, Sensabaugh could end up with a much bigger role than originally thought.