Brice Sensabaugh

Western Notes: Wolves, Blazers, Jazz, Spurs, Missi

October 27th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

It came against an injury-depleted Raptors team, but the Timberwolves‘ new starting lineup had some encouraging moments in Saturday’s wire-to-wire home victory, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“It looks like it’s starting to come together,” head coach Chris Finch said. “Things that I can see that maybe we can lean into are starting to form a little bit. We got to keep doing it particularly when it matters most, but it was good for those guys.”

Minnesota got off to a sluggish start in its opening road loss to the Lakers, but the team is starting to figure out how to play around Julius Randle, who contributed 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes vs. Toronto. Center Rudy Gobert grew accustomed to playing alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, but Randle is less of a shooter and more of a driver.

“I try to be in a spot where I’m not in his way,” Gobert said of Randle. “Also he’s able to to find me if my man helps, or if someone collapses, find the shooter. …We gotta get a long way to go, but it’s fun. It’s fun to watch him work, and he’s a very good passer, too, so he’s gonna be able to find his teammates most of the time.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers gave up 140 points and were blown out in their opener, a 36-point home loss to Golden State. Although Portland blew a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter on Friday and wound up losing a nail-biter to New Orleans, head coach Chauncey Billups was content with the team’s effort, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. “I thought we played good,” Billups said. “Obviously wished we’d come away with the win, but definitely, this is more who we are. We’re gonna compete, we’re gonna scrap. Defensively, I thought we did a pretty good job. It got away from us a few times. But I thought we played hard. I’m proud of our guys.”
The Blazers aren’t the only team to be throttled by Golden State this week. The Jazz only managed 86 points in a 41-point home loss to the Warriors on Friday. While Utah is expected to be among the worst teams in the league, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune questions whether the second unit featuring Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins can play competitive minutes together, as they don’t seem to possess complementary skill sets.
Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) shares three takeaways from the Spurs‘ 109-106 victory over Houston on Saturday, including head coach Gregg Popovich using lottery pick Stephon Castle in crunch time. “I feel like just being out there late game is credit to my defense,” Castle said. “I feel like that’s when it’s needed most. So I was really just trying to lock in on that and then on the other end, just execute whatever Pop calls.”
Big man Yves Missi was viewed by scouts as a raw prospect entering the 2024 draft, but the Pelicans believed in his athleticism and “capacity for learning,” which is why they selected him 21st overall, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscriber link). Missi has impressed through two games, averaging 10.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 22.5 MPG. Clark details how the 20-year-old traveled from his native Cameroon to the U.S. as teenager to pursue his basketball dream.

Jazz Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Four Players

October 21st, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on four players, the team announced today in a press release. Those four players and their accompanying options are as follows:

Taylor Hendricks (third year, $6,127,080)
Walker Kessler (fourth year, $4,878,938)
Keyonte George (third year, $4,278,960)
Brice Sensabaugh (third year, $2,693,760)

After an impressive rookie season in which he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, Kessler didn’t take a real step forward as a sophomore in 2023/24, with his averages slipping a little in categories like PPG (8.1), RPG (7.5), and FG% (.654). However, he’s still just 23 years old and is on an extremely team-friendly contract. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2025 and will become a restricted free agent in 2026 if he doesn’t sign a new deal next offseason.

Hendricks, George, and Sensabaugh were first-round picks in the 2023 draft. Of the three, George saw the most significant role as a rookie, starting 44 of his 75 games and averaging 27.0 minutes per night. While he struggled to score efficiently, making just 39.1% of his shots from the floor (33.4% from beyond the arc), he showed real promise in his age-20 season, averaging 13.0 PPG and 4.4 APG.

Hendricks averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .450/.379/.793 shooting in 40 games (23 starts) in his rookie year, while Sensabaugh had 7.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG on .390/.296/.902 shooting in 32 outings (11 starts). Both players only really saw significant playing time down the stretch after the Jazz fell out of the play-in race, but they should get an opportunity to earn more regular roles from day one in 2024/25.

The Jazz will have to make fourth-year option decisions on Hendricks, George, and Sensabaugh by October 31, 2025.

Northwest Notes: Porter, Edwards, Wolves, Jazz

October 21st, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA a year ago with 31.2 three-point attempts per game and lost one of their most reliable outside marksmen this offseason when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope departed for Orlando in free agency. While head coach Michael Malone has downplayed Denver’s need to fire away from beyond the arc, forward Michael Porter Jr. knows the team will be relying on him more than ever this season to help spread the floor, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

“I think we’ve got a lot of players that, they like to get to the mid-range, they like to get to the rim,” Porter said. “So we know in this day in age, teams score a lot of points when they get some three up. So I don’t have my partner in crime, KCP. He was kind of a volume shooter last year. So we don’t have any really volume three-point shooters.

“I think Jamal (Murray), he’ll shoot some threes, but he likes to get to the middy. Joker (Nikola Jokic) should probably take a couple more per game. But I know it’s gonna be up to me and Julian (Strawther) to really be the volume 3-point shooters.”

Porter attempted 6.8 three-pointers per game last season and knocked down 39.7% of those tries. His career high is 7.3 attempts per night and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he exceeds that figure in 2024/25.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

In an interview for an ESPN Cover Story feature (Twitter video link), Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards expressed a belief that he could make the jump from the NBA to the NFL. “I told my buddies, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I’m going to play football,” he said. While Edwards’ confidence is admirable, this claim definitely falls into the category of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”
Within his deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ roster, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic says the trade for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle helped ease any concerns the team had about its point guard depth behind Mike Conley. “(DiVincenzo)’s been outstanding with the ball in his hands as a play-maker,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We know Julius can also create, we know Nickeil (Alexander-Walker). We’ve seen even a little more increased play-making from Jaden (McDaniels), not in a classic point guard role, but I feel like we are very comfortable with what we will do going forward at the point guard spot.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune poses four questions that will help determine how the Jazz‘s season plays out, including what the front office plans to do with its non-core veterans and how good the team’s young players can be. As Larsen notes, Utah intends to prioritize the development of youngsters like Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski in 2024/25 — their performances will go a long way toward determining whether they have a place in the club’s long-term plans.

Northwest Notes: Gupta, Mays, Singer, Jazz Offseason

September 17th, 2024 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Timberwolves executive Sachin Gupta is changing sports. He’s leaving his post as executive vice president of basketball operations to take a prominent position with soccer’s Chelsea FC, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets.

Gupta, 42, has been in the Timberwolves’ front office since May 2019. He also had stints with the Rockets, Sixers and Pistons. Gupta served as the interim head of basketball operations in Minnesota following the 2021 dismissal of Gersson Rosas before the organization hired Tim Connelly in 2022.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves’ NBA G League franchise, the Iowa Wolves, has acquired the returning player rights to guard Skylar Mays from the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the returning player rights to guard Vit Krejci and a 2025 G League first round pick, according to a Wolves press release. The Timberwolves signed Mays to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday. By trading for Mays’ returning player rights, the Wolves can offer him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves.
A former Nuggets beat writer is joining their organization. Denver is hiring former Denver Post reporter Mike Singer as their director of intelligence and strategy, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. In addition to hiring Singer, the Nuggets are promoting Todd Checovich to the position of scouting director. Drew Nicholas, who held that position for two years, accepted a new job with the Nets this summer.
Many of the Jazz players stayed close to their NBA home during the offseason. Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton spent the majority of the summer working out in Utah, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

Jazz’s Sensabaugh, Spurs’ Castle Out For Rest Of Summer League

July 15th, 2024 at 1:07pm CST by Rory Maher

An MRI has revealed that second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh sustained an extensor tendon tear in his left middle finger during the second quarter of Saturday’s game vs. Dallas, the Jazz announced in a press release (via Twitter).

Sensabaugh’s finger will be splinted and reexamined in about six weeks, which means he’ll miss the remainder of Las Vegas Summer League. Based on that timeline, he’d be reexamined around late August, before training camp begins in the fall.

The 28th pick of the 2023 draft out of Ohio State, Sensabaugh made just four NBA regular season appearances in Utah’s first 53 games leading up to the February trade deadline. After the Jazz traded away veterans for the second consecutive year and tanked down the stretch, the 20-year-old averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .392/.292/.902 shooting while appearing in 28 of the team’s final 29 games (20.5 MPG).

Sensabaugh, who is known for his shooting and scoring but isn’t a great defender, also appeared in 29 games for Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, as a rookie in 2023/24. He averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals on .467/.365/.758 shooting in 29.5 MPG.

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, the fourth pick of last month’s draft out of UConn, will also miss the remainder of Summer League, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

Castle suffered a right wrist sprain in Saturday’s win over Portland — his Spurs debut — in which he recorded 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. The injury is considered minor, but the team didn’t want to risk aggravating it.

“I feel like they have my best interests in mind,” Castle said, per Orsborn. “I feel like it’s smart to take the caution route.”

Northwest Notes: Zanik, Sensabaugh, Gobert, Jokic

April 1st, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz general manager Justin Zanik underwent a physical last fall that revealed he’s suffering from kidney failure, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Doctors diagnosed Zanik with Polycystic Kidney Disease and determined that he only had 14% of his kidney left. PKD causes cysts to grow on the kidney, eventually leaving it unable to function. Zanik went through the process of finding a donor and will undergo a transplant on Tuesday.

“I’m a fixer by nature,” he said. “My job with the Jazz, my role with my family — I mean, I was a [player] agent for 15 years. I fixed a lot of s–t. I’m the one who’s supposed to help. I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of everything. I really didn’t know how to ask for help, but I had to get over it. I knew I had to get over it.”

Zanik will remain in the University of Utah’s hospital for several days once the procedure is complete, and doctors will need a few weeks to monitor how his body adjusts to the new kidney. He’ll recuperate for most of April, but he has told friends that he expects to be fully running the team again in time for draft day in June and the start of free agency in July.

The Jazz released a statement as Zanik prepares for Tuesday’s operation: “The Utah Jazz send our love and support to General Manager Justin Zanik, his wife Gina, and their family as Justin prepares for a kidney transplant to address polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disorder that affects kidney function. JZ is an instrumental part of our organization, and we look forward to his return in the coming weeks.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Jazz rookie Brice Sensabaugh had been struggling with his three-point shooting before going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc Sunday night, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Sensabaugh said it’s been an adjustment getting used to the NBA’s longer three-point line. “It’s not crazy, but during the flow of the game, it’s not even the distance, but the line can mess with your head sometimes. It’s just like kind of a mental thing a little bit,” he said.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was upset after battling for a rebound with Chicago’s Alex Caruso on Sunday, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I had a knee injury a couple years ago on the same play and missed a month because someone ran into my knee,” Gobert said. “I hope they look at this, because if they don’t hold people accountable, I’m gonna hold them accountable myself.”
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic isn’t concerned about the inflammation that’s forcing him to play with tape on his right wrist, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I don’t know if rest can help me. In my opinion, it is an injury that I can play with,” Jokic said Sunday after posting 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists in Sunday’s win over Cleveland. “I feel it, but I can play with it. It kind of bothers me. So, I am kind of used to it.”

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Jokic, Murray, George, Giddey

March 30th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The battle for control among Timberwolves‘ ownership isn’t affecting the team’s performance, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. While majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez fight things out in the media and probably in the court system, Minnesota picked up one of its biggest wins of the season Friday night at Denver. The Wolves are now tied with Oklahoma City for the top spot in the West with just nine games remaining.

“I don’t think it affects the players as much,” Mike Conley said of the ownership situation. “Maybe it affects the image of the team, the aura of the team around a little bit. But as far as the players are concerned, I think we just are like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.’ Then we go back to watching film and worrying about (Nikola) Jokic, Jamal Murray and (Michael) Porter and those guys. It’s a unique situation and it’s something we don’t have any control over. We’re trying to do our job.”

Rudy Gobert didn’t mention Taylor, Lore or Rodriguez by name, but he said ownership in general has improved since he was traded to Minnesota nearly two years ago, creating a better atmosphere for the players.

“Whether it’s nutrition, recovery, facility, family room, how our family is being treated — it’s a lot of things,” Gobert said. “This organization is becoming really a top-notch organization and I think it’s come a long way.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Nuggets may need to prioritize health over chasing the No. 1 seed, contends Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Jokic played with his right wrist taped Friday night, and Durando observes that it was clearly bothering him even though he finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds. “His wrist has been giving him a lot of trouble,” coach Michael Malone said. “But as we know, Nikola plays through things that most guys won’t.” Murray missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury, but Malone said he’s expected to return before the start of the playoffs.
The Jazz dropped their eighth straight game Friday night as they deal with the realities of starting three rookies, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh are struggling with efficiency as they get accustomed to playing big minutes at the NBA level, but the organization is committed to all three players, with coach Will Hardy complimenting George on his mental approach to the game. “Keyonte is really, really smart. He’s really, really smart in general, and that applies to basketball,” Hardy said. “He watches a lot on his own, which is very rare these days. He’s at home watching League Pass, watching games. So with that he has pretty quick recognition of things. He has an ability to learn things fast. He has really good recall. He can remember plays that we ran three weeks ago that we haven’t scripted in a while.”
Thunder swingman Josh Giddey said he used to hate it when teams dared him to shoot from the outside, but he’s learned to use it as a weapon, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “Now I’ve changed my mindset going into games,” Giddey said, “where it’s like, ‘If he’s gonna leave me open, I’m gonna punish them. I’m gonna make them pay and change their defensive scheme.’”

Northwest Notes: Hayward, Morris, Jazz, Strawther

February 10th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Gordon Hayward has battled injuries for the past several seasons and is no longer playing at the same level as he was back in 2017 when he made his first and only All-Star game. But Hayward is the sort of big wing who has real value on a playoff roster, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, who notes that the price the Thunder paid to acquire the veteran forward – three matching salaries and a pair of second-round picks – was relatively modest.

Hayward may end up being no more than an insurance policy for the Thunder, Mussatto acknowledges, but in a best-case scenario, he’ll become a regular rotation piece and perhaps even a player who could be part of closing lineups. And, as Mussatto points out, the three players Oklahoma City gave up for Hayward (Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, and Vasilije Micic) almost certainly wouldn’t have been playoff contributors.

Hayward, who has been sidelined since December 26 due to a calf injury, appeared to be nearing a return for the Hornets, but he won’t play until after the All-Star break for Oklahoma City, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.

As Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder notes (via Twitter), head coach Mark Daigneault suggested Hayward is probably healthy enough to play today, but the Thunder want to put him through their return-to-play protocol and let him adjust to his new surroundings before he takes the court.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is enthusiastic about having the opportunity to add newly acquired guard Monte Morris to his rotation, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. “He’s a winner. He just kind of makes the right play. Super solid, low-turnover guy,” Finch said. “He’s used to playing off of a lot of star players really well. I think it’s a fairly seamless partnership with Mike (Conley). It’s not like this other type of guard that you have to adjust to. Just his high basketball IQ, you can’t have enough of those guys.”
Morris also expressed excitement about joining the Timberwolves and said on Friday that he’s still getting up to game speed after spending most of the season recovering from a quad injury, per Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “I was out for a long period of time,” Morris said. “Realistically, I’d say just ramp up my strength and conditioning running. I’ve played in games. I’m not dead tired, but I know there’s another notice I can get to, and I’ll get to it really, really soon.”
The Jazz‘s moves at the trade deadline signal that they continue to prioritize the long term over the short term, despite the fact that they currently hold a play-in spot, writes Andy Larsen of The Star Tribune. As Larsen observes, the departures of Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio should open up playing time for rookies Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh.
Nuggets forward Julian Strawther, who was sidelined for over a month due to a knee injury, played on Friday for the first time since January 4, scoring seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required), head coach Michael Malone said prior to Friday’s game that Strawther wouldn’t necessarily be assured of a consistent rotation role going forward.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Sensabaugh, Billups, Holmgren

December 7th, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

After defeating Portland over the weekend, the Jazz took a significant step back on Wednesday, as they lost to Dallas by 50 points. Head coach Will Hardy didn’t mince words about Utah’s abysmal showing, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

“That was an absolutely horrendous performance from start to finish,” Hardy said. “That was a masterpiece of dogs–t.”

In order to slow the Mavs’ high-powered offense, the Jazz planned to be “as physical and intense on defense as possible,” Todd notes. Instead, they gave up 147 points — including a historic 29-point triple-double to Luka Doncic in the first half.

“I was most disappointed with our defensive intensity to start the game,” Hardy said. “I think defensively it was poor the entire night.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

After primarily playing power forward in college at Ohio State, Jazz first-round pick Brice Sensabaugh has been adjusting to playing on the wing at the professional level, and he hopes it will lead to NBA minutes, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required). The 20-year-old was selected 28th overall in June, but he has only played two minutes for Utah to this point, having spent most of his time in the G League. “Yeah, obviously, times change and roles change, especially coming to the NBA with the best players in the world,” he said. “… I kind of played the 4 in college, to be honest, so I was in more of those back-to-the-basket situations. But now, being a 2, maybe a 3, [I’m] just trying to come off pin-downs and come off screens sometimes, just trying to see the game better, and learn. And it’s way different — this game is way different than college, even the G League [is way different than college]. The floor has more space, there’s just more stuff to work with, better players.”
Jason Quick of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at Chauncey Billups‘ impact on the Trail Blazers, as well his personal growth as head coach. Portland is just 6-14, and Billups has been hard on the group at times, but the team has responded to his criticisms and has become unusually selfless and connected, Quick writes. “With Chauncey, it’s never personal. And he makes that very clear,” Matisse Thybulle said. “I think some coaches may say that, just so they can get those little personal jabs in there to disguise it, but Chauncey is straight up. He’s really honest.”
Chet Holmgren — the Western Conference’s reigning Rookie of the Month — has exceeded expectations and is changing the Thunder‘s trajectory, according to Rylan Stiles of ThunderousIntentions.com, who says the 21-year-old’s dynamic two-way game could make Oklahoma City a contender sooner rather than later.

Northwest Notes: Hendricks, Sensabaugh, George, Williams, Nuggets

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Neither Taylor Hendricks nor Brice Sensabaugh, the Nos. 9 and 28 overall picks in the 2023 draft, are in the Jazz rotation to begin the season. Instead, the duo will begin the year by practicing with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, in training camp, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Larsen points out that fellow rookie Keyonte George, drafted after Hendricks with the No. 16 overall pick, has been a regular contributor. While Larsen notes that several former rookies who didn’t play much early in their careers went on to find success, it’s clear the Jazz don’t believe Hendricks is ready to contribute at the NBA level right now. Participating in G League training camp will give both rookies ample practice time.

“You want young players to get reps, and live reps against good players. Once our season gets going, the amount of practice time shrinks considerably,” head coach Will Hardy said. “They practiced today for two and a half hours. We did not have a two-and-a-half-hour live shootaround this morning.”

For what it’s worth, both Hendricks and Sensabaugh are appreciating the opportunity for more practice time, according to Larsen.

“We’re seeing younger and younger players come into the NBA,” Hardy said. “Eight years ago, it wasn’t like you were drafting three 19-year-olds in the same draft. We’re just trying to get those guys as many reps as we can until they’re in a position to play enough minutes with our group every night that it would be overkill to send them there. Both those guys understand that this is the opposite of punishment.”

We have more Northwest Division notes:

The Jazz are also taking a patient approach with fellow rookie George, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, and he partially holds the keys to Utah’s future. The guard had a dominant Summer League and training camp, but Utah is being cautious and won’t put too much on his plate too soon. Jones writes that George has the highest natural instincts for the point guard position of anyone on the roster and that it’s difficult to envision a scenario where he isn’t the starting point guard by next season.
The Thunder assigned Jaylin Williams to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, on Wednesday, according to Rylan Stiles (Twitter link). This was part of Williams’ ramp-up to play, as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury. Oklahoma City recalled Williams later on Wednesday (Twitter link).
The transition from last season to this one has been seamless for the Nuggets‘ bench so far despite losing players like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Denver’s bench, consisting primarily of Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji, outscored opposing bench players 132-105 through its first four games, shooting 50.5% from the field and holding opponents to 38.3% shooting from the floor. That group, along with Jamal Murray, boasts a defensive rating of 83.6. “Anyone can go off any night,” Nnaji said.

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