Age

19.6

Height

6'6"

Weight

235

Workload

MIN%

57.4

USG%

32.1

TS%

58.8

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

28.2

REB

9.3

AST

2.0

STL

0.9

BLK

0.7

TOV

3.5

Efficiency

RIM FG%

57.8

MID FG%

49.4

3PT FG%

40.5

FT%

83.0

Jump to full report

Report by: Will Morris

Brice Sensabaugh

Forward Ohio State

Young, massive wing who can fill up a score sheet and has some incredible touch indicators.

Age

19.6

Height

6'6"

Weight

235

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

28.2

REB

9.3

AST

2.0

STL

0.9

BLK

0.7

Positions Defended

Offensive Role

 

Defensive Role

   

Meet Brice Sensabaugh

Though Ohio State struggled to put wins on the board during the Big Ten regular season, 19-year-old Forward Brice Sensabaugh emerged as a true offensive star in the conference. The former 4-star Freshman from Orlando poured in 16.3 points per game and knocked down 40.5% of his 3-point attempts. With the Buckeyes’ season officially over, he appears primed to enter his name into this year’s draft pool.

Offense

For someone who wasn’t necessarily a blue-chip high school prospect, it’s incredible how massive a role Sensabaugh played in Ohio State’s offense. His 32.1% usage is the 5th highest of any high-major Freshman in the last decade, ahead of names like Markelle Fultz, RJ Barrett, and Anthony Edwards, and he trails only Trae Young, Landers Nolley II, Nick Ward, and Collin Sexton. While I’d be shocked to see a pro team entrust Sensabaugh with such a focal role, there’s no doubt that he brings plenty to the table with the ball in his hands.

Sensabaugh makes his money as a creator in the mid-range, burying an absurd 49.4% of his 172 non-rim 2-point attempts this past season. He gets his shot off in a variety of ways, capable of moseying his way into the paint for close-range pull-ups and nailing difficult turnaround Js. Sensabaugh utilizes jab-steps and stutter-rips well to get to his preferred spots – usually around the left elbow or block. While he may not be the most explosive ball-handler, his high release point and feathery touch help him knock down even the most contested of pull-ups with relative ease.

That isn’t to say Sensabaugh is incapable of creating separation off the dribble. For someone who weighs 235 lbs., his east-west shake is pretty impressive. Furthermore, I’d love to see Sensabaugh’s pull-up three volume increase as he advances to the big leagues. Only 7 of his 60 made threes this year came off the bounce, but with his shot-making juice on long 2’s, it’s easy to envision him developing into an even greater threat from beyond the arc.

Despite his potent shot-making, Sensabaugh is far from a perfect creator prospect. As a slasher, he often struggles to leverage his size into easy lay-ups and free-throw attempts. He’s capable of muscling his way to the rim versus mismatches and coming off of motion, but he isn’t explosive enough to generate much power as a driver. 24.4% is a poor free-throw rate for someone with his size and usage. In addition, Sensabaugh is a ground-bound finisher who is over-reliant on his right hand. In the clips below, notice how he forces the ball up with his right, giving the rim protector an easier angle to block his shots.

The passing is also a work in progress. Sensabaugh has shown blips as a playmaker, taking advantage of his scoring gravity to find open teammates. In the first clip he slips out of a double screen, recognizes the help coming, and fires a precise skip pass to the corner. However, Sensabaugh routinely bypasses open teammates while hoisting up contested looks. He needs to be better about recognizing help coming from the gaps. With his head down, he often misses kick-out opportunities and makes himself susceptible to digs. In pick-and-roll, he tends to pre-determine his reads, forcing passes into predictable windows. 10.9% assist rate with his usage is not a great look.

Thankfully, Sensabaugh has all the tools to be a fantastic player away from the ball. 40.5% on 11.1 3PA/100 and 83.0% from the line are marks that should give a team confidence he’ll be able to knock down shots from deep at a high level early in his career. Sensabaugh brings plenty of shooting versatility, capable of quickly self-organizing for spot-ups and firing off movement with both left and rightward momentum.

I also love the way he moves to open space. He’s an intelligent relocator along the perimeter and provides admirable activity as a cutter and offensive rebounder. Again, these skills will help him contribute to an offense without the ball in his hands from day one.

What would take his off-ball game to the next level is if he could improve as a +1 passer. He’s shown flashes, but there are times when Sensabaugh catches and holds or puts the ball on the floor looking for his shot when he should swing it.

Defense

To put it bluntly, Sensabaugh is a negative-impact defender at this stage in his career. Closeouts are his most glaring weakness. His tendency to jump and lunge at the ball when closing out to shooters makes him susceptible to blow-bys. He too frequently loses focus away from the ball, getting caught over-helping, getting back-cut, or finding himself engulfed in screens.

Bad gambles and lapses in attentiveness lead to disaster for Sensabaugh, as he lacks the recovery tools to consistently work his way back into plays when he gets caught a step behind. As a result, he frequently finds himself in foul trouble. Much of the reason Sensabaugh was only able to stay on the floor for 24.5 minutes per game this season: he averaged 4.0 personal fouls/40 minutes. His weak 1.3% steal rate is indicative of this inability to create havoc away from the ball.

Fortunately, there is some low-hanging fruit here. A 6’6” man built like a tank inherently provides more resistance on a weak-side rim rotation than a guard. With his strength, Sensabaugh can also develop into a respectable post-defender. However, there are possessions where he gets caught flat-footed, doesn’t get into a stance, and gets finished through.

Conclusion

Brice Sensabaugh has plenty of warts in his game. He is unlikely to provide value on the defensive end, especially during his rookie deal. With his tunnel vision, inability to generate free throw attempts, and over-reliance on difficult shots, I struggle to see him being a go-to guy on a genuine contender. At the same time, his blend of size and shooting touch is undeniable. His ability to threaten defenses with and without the ball in his hands should make him easy to scale up and down on offense, depending on who he’s playing alongside. For teams seeking shooting and secondary or tertiary creation towards the back of the lottery, Sensabaugh is a no-brainer option.

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