2023 NBA Draft Player Profile: Brice Sensabaugh

Since he first started playing ball, Brice Sensabaugh has been a walking bucket. Sensabaugh led his high school team in scoring as a sophomore (!!) before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for his junior season. He bounced back as a senior and led his team in scoring again, with a stat line of 25.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He was named Florida Mr. Basketball and received offers from several big schools, including Florida, Alabama, and Georgia Tech before committing to Ohio State.

Sensabaugh started his career at Ohio State coming off the bench as a true freshman, but that didn’t last long. Through 8 games off the bench, he put up 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and nearly 1 “stock” (steals + blocks) in just 18 minutes per game on efficient 49/43/83 shooting splits.

After a stellar regular season, Sensabaugh suffered another knee injury on March 9 in the Big 10 tournament and missed the remainder of postseason play.

Stats/Measurements

Height: 6’6” (listed)

Weight: 235

Wingspan: TBD

Pts: 16.3

Reb: 5.4

Ast: 1.2

FG%: 48

3FG%: 40.5

Strengths

Scoring

Sensabaugh is capable of hitting difficult shots from anywhere on the court. He’s fantastic in the mid-range, whether it’s off the dribble, posting up and punishing mismatches, or drilling contested turnaround jumpers. Good body control and core strength help him adjust in mid-air to square up for his release. Sensabaugh is great in isolation situations, and his ability to hit any shot from any angle (including off the glass) makes him extremely difficult to guard.

He has a good free throw rate (.244) and hits an elite 83% from the line and 40.5% from deep on good volume. As a scorer, he can do it all.

He’s patient and methodical with the ball in his hands, constantly probing for weaknesses before punishing the defense when they tip their hand.

Shooting

Sensabaugh is a flamethrower from outside, hitting more than 45% of his looks in catch-and-shoot situations. He’s effective as a spot-up shooter as well as off movement, comfortably coming off screens to catch, rise, and fire without hesitation. He’s efficient in both corners and above the break, and should be a dangerous shooter at the NBA level. He’ll punish any defense that sags off him, and he’s an elite shooter from literally anywhere outside the arc.

Shot Creation

Although he doesn’t create many shots for his teammates (yet), Sensabaugh is a machine when it comes to high-volume self-creation. He was Ohio State’s go-to scorer in late-clock and clutch situations, and he consistently delivered in those moments. Impressive stuff from a freshman that started the year as a bench player.

Weaknesses

Playmaking

Sensabaugh isn’t much of a passer or playmaker at this stage of his development, and he had nearly twice as many turnovers as assists. Teams typically want more than one assist (and change) per game out of their high-usage players, even if they are score-first guys. Sensabaugh had the 4th-highest usage rate in college basketball, but recorded just 38 assists in 33 games. He did show occasional flashes of advanced reads and passes. It’s possible the low assist numbers are partially due to coaching and schemes, as Ohio State ranked near the bottom of college basketball with just 11.7 assists per game as a team.

Athleticism

Sensabaugh doesn’t have great athleticism. He lacks vertical explosiveness, has below average footspeed, and struggles to create much separation off the dribble. Sensabaugh didn’t participate in any drills or measurements at the NBA combine, so it’s difficult to gauge his true size. He’s listed at 6’6” but if his height is closer to 6’4” with a wingspan in the 6’5”-6’7” range, that puts him on the small side for an NBA wing.

Defense

Largely due to his ho-hum athleticism, Sensabaugh is a defensive liability at this point. He gets blown by in one-on-one situations far too often, and his closeouts often result in the shooter driving past him. He needs better awareness and fundamentals on this side of the court or he won’t get minutes.

Projection

Sensabaugh’s projections are all over the place, anywhere from the late teens to the early 2nd round. While there are definite concerns about him as a prospect (injury history, defense, playmaking, athleticism) few players available in the late 1st will have his scoring impact. Guys who can create their own looks in late clock situations are difficult to find - and even more difficult to guard.