In two weeks, Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh will be among the dozens of young basketball players to hear his name called to the NBA Draft stage.
The 2023 NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, on June 22. Traditional drafts have 60 total selections over two rounds, but there will be 58 this year due to the league stripping the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers of second-round picks for tampering violations.
Sensabaugh will likely be the lone Buckeye player selected in this year’s draft. Last year, the Buckeyes watched two graduates in Malaki Branham and E.J. Liddell go 20th and 41st overall to the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively.
There is zero question that the San Antonio Spurs will be taking generational prospect Victor Wembanyama with the top selection. Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and twins Amen and Ausar Thompson are the other consensus top-five prospects in this year’s class.
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With that said, let’s take a dive into Sensabaugh’s NCAA career while analyzing his NBA future.
Sensabaugh’s Rise To Stardom At Ohio State
Sensabaugh attended Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida. The Vampire Diaries star Candice Accola and former NFL star cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are among the other notable celebrities who attended this school.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward won Florida Mr. Basketball honors in 2022, his senior year. Sensabaugh committed to the Buckeyes’ program, and it didn’t take him long to make an impact under head coach Chris Holtmann.
Sensabaugh appeared in 33 games, averaging 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Sensabaugh shot an impressive 40.5 percent from three-point range, and a superb 48.2 percent from the field.
Arguably his most memorable moment as a Buckeye came in the club’s Jan. 21 home game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who entered the contest with a 12-6 record.
Sensabaugh’s season-high 27 points and five rebounds powered Ohio State to a 93-77 victory over the Hawkeyes. Sensabaugh made 10 of 12 shots from the field in what would be one of the few highlights of a frustrating year for Ohio State.
Sensabaugh turned in another strong performance against Iowa on Mar. 9 in second round play of the Big Ten tournament. He recorded 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block in the Buckeyes’ 73-69 victory.
The 19-year-old earned Third-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. In March, Sensabaugh officially declared for the NBA Draft.
What The NBA Future Holds For Sensabaugh
Sensabaugh is widely projected to be drafted somewhere late in the first round.
ESPN has him as the No. 21 prospect for the draft, and CBS Sports has Sensabaugh in the No. 22 spot. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Sensabaugh to go to the powerhouse Memphis Grizzlies at No. 25 overall.
Sensabaugh could be an option for the 2022 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, who pick 19th. The Houston Rockets hold the No. 20 selection, and then the Brooklyn Nets hold the next two picks.
The rest of round one (in order from 23 to 30) is this: Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Memphis, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, Indiana and Los Angeles Clippers.
Among those clubs, the Warriors feel unlikely with Andrew Wiggins occupying the small forward spot. The Houston Rockets already have Kenyon Martin Jr. there, so expect them to look at a different position here.
You can rule out the Clippers, who have one of the game’s premier small forwards in Kawhi Leonard. And the Jazz have no reason to replace Lauri Markkanen following an excellent year in Salt lake City.
The Nets would be wise to keep Cameron Johnson following a strong outing in 2022-23, so it’d be a surprise if they wound up taking Sensabaugh with one of their two late first-round selections. The Pacers have no reason to replace Buddy Hield, who provides consistent production there on offense.
That leaves Sacramento, Memphis and Charlotte as the most logical fits. A team in win-now mode like Memphis could certainly use an athletic scorer like Sensabaugh to help off the bench in 2023-24.
The Kings could use depth behind veteran Harrison Barnes. Charlotte already has Kelly Oubre Jr. and Gordon Hayward, but Michael Jordan’s club might feel inclined to groom a replacement for the 33-year-old Hayward.
Nonetheless, just about any team would benefit from adding this explosive scorer to their roster come draft night.
