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SALT LAKE CITY — Brice Sensabaugh had it going.
On Saturday, the Utah Jazz sophomore wing had a season-high 20 points for the Jazz. He hit three triples, got to the free-throw line a season-best five times and hit floaters in the paint.
"I mean, I didn't feel like he missed," Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
Yet, Hardy's favorite play from Sensabaugh had nothing to do with him shooting. Sensabaigh dribbled around a screen, held his defender on his back, forced the big to come up and meet him, and then lobbed a pass to a rolling Walker Kessler for a dunk.
It wasn't just the convergence of skills on that specific — using his body to keep an advantage, the read, an accurate pass — that stood out to Hardy; it was also the maturity he showed on the play. Instead of relying on his obvious hot hand, he made the right read — so Hardy let him close the game.
Sensabaugh is probably the best scorer among Utah's young players. He's the best 3-point shooter, has a good mid-range feel, and knows how to use his body to create advantages.
"He has shown me, us, you guys, time and time again, that he can make shots," Hardy said.
His performance against the 76ers was a sign of an expanding offensive game.
"Part of his game that I think is exceptional, that he maybe doesn't show off enough, is his playmaking," Hardy said. "And when he's able to couple those things together (shooting and passing) then you're really hard to guard because the other team can't react to one thing."
There's a reason why that part of his game is starting to come out more: things are slowing down.
"In the past, I've kind of just been thinking and playing at 100 miles per hour," he said.
Now, he's starting to "slow down" and "read what's going on" and allowing plays to unfold.
"When I lose (the playmaking) is basically just playing too fast," he said. "It's not the way I want to play. I want to go at my own pace … and just kind of make the easy reads."
Sensabaugh isn't the speediest of wings. Hardy said the best thing he does is use his body to hold defenders off and create space. That helps with his playmaking and allows him to take his time to see how a play will unfold.
"It allows the moments of decision-making to be a little bit longer," Sensabaugh said. "And I think that's where we see like the lob, it's not just the shot-making, but he's able to make those reads passing the ball because of how well he uses his body."
Now, like for most young players, it's about finding consistency. The playmaking could be Sensabaugh's swing skill, giving him enough offensive versatility to make up for some of his deficiencies on the other end, and allowing him to stick in the league as a role player … or maybe more.
"He's put a lot of work in," Hardy said. " He's really taking coaching well, and it's always good when you see a guy have a moment like that. Those moments are important for all these guys. You're trying to grow, you're trying to develop. And having a moment like having a game like that, it shows the work's paying off, and then you are getting a lot better."
