Just like last year, the Utah Jazz made some trade deadline deals that will change the trajectory of the 2023-24 season. Kris Dunn and Talen Horton-Tucker benefited the most in 2023 when Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt were shipped out of Salt Lake City..
This season, it was Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio’s turn to be traded. As a result of the roster reshuffle, it appears Brice Sensabaugh will be one of the players to get his chance to prove that he deserves to be a permanent fixture of Will Hardy’s rotation moving forward. After the deadline deals, Sensabaugh spoke on what it was like to be part of his first trade deadline as a rookie in the NBA.
“For me, it was interesting,” Sensabaugh said. “It was my first time I ever experienced something like this. So, for it to actually hit our team and for me to experience, that was kind of crazy. But for me, obviously you work a lot of times with the guys that got traded so some relationships that I hope I keep and continue to stay in contact with those guys.”
In Sensabaugh’s first game as a part of the rotation, he logged 13 minutes and scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting. He appeared a little jittery in the first half, but as the game went on, he demonstrated to Jazz fans why he was chosen in the first round of the 2023 draft.
Sensabaugh nailed a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the third quarter that may have been Utah’s biggest highlight of the night. By trading Fontecchio and Agbaji, the Jazz will need some players who can space the floor and excel in catch-and-shoot three-pointers, and Sensabaugh may fit the bill.
Sensabaugh owns a skill set that is in high demand in today’s NBA. Being able to space the floor as a three-point shooter while creating his own offense with an NBA-ready mid-range game bodes well for Utah in their half-court sets. Whether that translates to rotational minutes next season could hinge on how he holds up defensively.
Sensabaugh's defensive prowess will be tested over the next few weeks. Guarding NBA talent will be an enormous jump from the competition he was accustomed to last year in the Big Ten.
Although his defense is a concern, Utah still drafted a player they weren’t expecting to be available late in the first round. Jazz GM Justin Zanik elaborated following the 2023 draft.
“At [pick No.] 28, we got a player that we had in our top 18," Jazz GM Justin Zanik said back in June. "That was really good. He fell to us, and so [we're] excited to have a guy that makes and takes NBA pro shots."
Sensabaugh suffered a knee injury at Ohio St. that required surgery, which may be why Sensabaugh slipped to No. 28, but Jazz fans are crossing their fingers that those concerns are a thing of the past.
With Utah fading out of the playoff picture, Sensabaugh’s development will be a big storyline moving forward. He’ll get another shot demonstrating that he should be a part of Hardy’s future rotation on Sunday when the Jazz host the San Antonio Spurs.
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