Brice Sensabaugh came to the NBA as a scorer, now he’s focusing on everything else

There were no questions about Brice Sensabaugh ’s ability to score after his lone season at Ohio State. He’s a natural scorer in every sense of the phrase.

But in just about every other way, Sensabaugh gave NBA decision makers pause when considering his long-term prospects as an NBA player. To that end, Sensabaugh has turned his attention away from offense.

Ask the second-year Utah Jazz guard/forward what his focus is today, his answer is simple.

“Defense and rebounding.”

And that’s a far cry from what anyone would have assumed about Sensabaugh as an NBA player.

Everyone who saw Sensabaugh play at Ohio State, or has seen him work out since that 2022-23 season understands his offensive gifts. While with the Buckeyes, he shot 48% overall, 40.5% from 3-point range and 85% at the free-throw line. Sensabaugh could score off the dribble, on step-backs, as a spot-up shooter, from distance or midrange and even has soft touch around the rim.

“I don’t worry about his ability to score. That is who he’s been, that is the natural part of him,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “For him to be putting his focus on the things that have been less natural is a really good step for him, because no matter what I say or no matter what I do, Brice can score. He understands angles, he’s really good at using his body and he’s a good shooter.”

But, on the other side of the ball, Sensabaugh was a defensive liability in college. He wasn’t quick, he was often getting beat by his man and didn’t really have the physical tools that would lead anyone to think that he could become even a neutral defender. Additionally, Sensabaugh came to the NBA with a number of knee surgeries under his belt as well as some questions about his ability to read the floor at a high level.

With those questions swirling around, it led to Sensabaugh falling to the 28th pick in the 2023 draft, which gave the Jazz a nice opportunity at a low-risk, high-reward selection. Though, Sensabaugh doesn’t want anyone to be thinking about the risk. He wants people to see that they shouldn’t have doubted him or passed over him.

Hardy wants Sensabaugh to know that he doesn’t have anything to prove on offense. He doesn’t have to show Hardy that he’s a capable scorer. Instead, what will stand out and impresses Hardy is Sensabaugh being willing to take on challenges and show that he’s more than just a shooter. And, after a rookie season spent mostly in the G League, as well as a full NBA offseason, Sensabaugh is showing that he’s ready for whatever is being thrown at him.

“It’s a sign of growth for him to have gone through all of last season, probably not gotten what he wanted last season in terms of playing time or opportunity, and he didn’t complain,” Hardy said. “He worked really hard this summer. He’s improved his body a ton, and he’s put a lot of focus on the things that we’ve asked of him. He’s had a good camp thus far and I’m really happy with his approach.”

That approach has been in large part due to Sensabaugh embracing the level of attention to detail in the NBA and how much more nuanced his film and practice sessions can be. At this point in his career, Sensabaugh realizes that the concerns from high school and college — classes, grades, making it to the next level — are gone and it allowed him to appreciate how much analysis can go into his game.

“It’s a world of difference,” he said. “In college, you’re going to class and you’ve got other stuff on your plate, but this is literally ... every single hour of the day, people breaking down film and just looking at every single area possible ... The attention to detail in the NBA is is second to none. So, if you really do pay attention, it allows you to really grow in your IQ and your smarts around the game of basketball. So that’s what I try to do. Chase perfection.”

But perfect for Sensabaugh does not mean what it might have meant to him before. Now he’s focused on defense, rebounding and trying to make himself valuable in unexpected ways.