Brice Sensabaugh Is Starting to Look Like the Jazz’s Next Go-To Scorer
The Utah Jazz didn’t spend much time looking back after parting ways with Jordan Clarkson last summer. Their focus has clearly shifted toward the future - and more specifically, toward building a playoff-caliber roster starting next season.
That means identifying who’s part of the long-term core. And right now, Brice Sensabaugh is making a strong case to be one of those pieces.
After a relatively quiet start to the season, Sensabaugh has erupted into one of the most intriguing young scorers in the league. He recently made a bit of Jazz history, and he’s followed it up with three straight 20-point performances. The wins haven’t come with the scoring yet, but when a rookie starts stringing together nights like this, you pay attention.
And here’s the thing - this isn’t the first time we’ve seen flashes like this from Sensabaugh. The potential has always been there.
What’s different now is the consistency. He’s not just showing up for a quarter or a half.
He’s putting together complete games, and he’s doing it with a scoring package that’s as polished as it is powerful.
Not Clarkson, But Maybe the Next Best Thing
Now, let’s be clear: Brice Sensabaugh isn’t a Jordan Clarkson clone. They’re different players with different styles.
Clarkson was the smooth, slashing guard who could beat you with his first step and finish with finesse. Sensabaugh, on the other hand, is sturdier and more deliberate.
He plays with a certain craft and physicality that lets him carve out space and get to his spots.
But while their games don’t mirror each other, their impact can. Both are guys who can change the feel of a game when they get hot.
They’re rhythm scorers - the kind of players who, when they see a few shots drop, can suddenly go off for 15 in a quarter. That’s the kind of offensive jolt every team needs off the bench or in a secondary scoring role.
Clarkson, when he was at his best in Utah, had that exact effect. He was never the most consistent player night to night - and that’s part of why he never quite cracked All-Star status - but he was a legitimate threat.
Opponents had to game-plan for him. If they didn’t, he could torch them.
That’s the kind of presence Sensabaugh is starting to develop.
The Path Forward
For Sensabaugh, the next step is finding that groove Clarkson once lived in - the space where inconsistency becomes unpredictability, and unpredictability becomes danger. That’s where you want a scorer like Sensabaugh to live.
You don’t need him to drop 25 every night. You just need opposing coaches to worry that he might.
Right now, he’s showing he can score in bunches. The big question is whether he can do it in a way that contributes to winning basketball.
That’s what ultimately separates a high-usage scorer from a long-term building block. Clarkson had to fight that label early in his career - the “empty calories” tag - and he eventually carved out a role where his scoring mattered, where it swung games.
That’s the bar Sensabaugh is chasing. And if he can reach it?
If he can become that guy defenses fear, that player who changes the tone of a game just by checking in? Then the Jazz may not just have found Clarkson’s successor - they may have found someone who can take that role and elevate it.
He’s not there yet. But the flashes are getting brighter. And in a season where Utah is looking more toward what’s next than what’s now, that’s exactly the kind of development they need to see.