Brice

Sensabaugh

Sensabaugh injured his finger during the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Mavericks. According to the team, the finger will be placed in a splint, and Sensabaugh will be re-evaluated in six weeks. His absence will free up additional minutes for Taevion Kinsey, who’s on a two-way contract.

Sensabaugh suffered an apparent finger injury, possibly a dislocation, during the first half of Saturday’s game. Given the low stakes, there’s no need for the Jazz to leave him on the court. Taevion Kinsey started the second half for Sensabaugh, who finished with three points, two rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer in 12 minutes.

After scoring 15 points in 23 minutes on Monday, Sensabaugh was even better in less game time in this game. He only logged 15 minutes in the first half, which was enough time for him to be the team’s leading scorer. He only played 32 games as a rookie and averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 triples in 18.3 minutes. He missed a lot of time early on due to injury, but if he is healthy heading into next season, he may end up having some fantasy upside, especially if the Jazz aren’t contending for a postseason spot.

Utah ended its 13-game losing streak on Thursday, with a balanced offensive effort doing the trick. Samanic led seven double-digit scorers with 22 points and was also one of two Jazz players to surpass 30 minutes (Keyonte George). Interestingly, he logged more minutes than Utah’s frontcourt rookies, with Taylor Hendricks (5/4/4/3/1 with one 3-pointer) playing 19 minutes and Brice Sensabaugh (17/6/3 with four 3-pointers) 24. That’s something for managers in active leagues to be mindful of for Utah’s final two games. Samanic has been a relatively safe play since moving into the starting lineup.

With Collin Sexton out, Juzang will slide into the starting unit for the second time in his career after having 27 points and seven triples in their last game. Samanic will also move into the starting lineup, which pushes Brice Sensabaugh to the bench.

Just two days after he set new career-highs with 22 points and five 3-pointers, Sensabaugh matched his career-high for points and set a new mark for triples. With Lauri Markkanen done for the year, Sensabaugh should remain in the starting unit for their final six games. He has started their last three games, though he was held scoreless in the first of those three. He’s still a rookie, so there may be some inconsistencies from game to game. However, he has shown his fantasy upside, and he will have plenty of opportunities to keep the production up to close out the season.

The rookie has taken on more minutes this month, and he has started their last two games. After being held scoreless in 25 minutes in their last game, he set career-highs in this one for both points and 3-pointers. With Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) set to be re-evaluated on the final day of the regular season, it is safe to say that his season is over. That means that Sensabaugh should be in the starting unit for the final two weeks of the season. That will be important development time for him, and he should be able to make a fantasy impact, especially if he continues to play like he did in this game.

The Jazz are without Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, which has forced two changes to the starting lineup. Sensabaugh and Kessler have been promoted, and the former is worth holding onto for the remainder of the season. Markkanen will be sidelined for at least two weeks, giving Sensabaugh a suitable “runway” to establish fantasy value. And even though he has been coming off the bench, Kessler should already be rostered in standard leagues.

Markkanen’s latest timeline for re-evaluation will take him through the remaining games of the season, so he’s done in 2023-24. He’ll finish his second campaign in a Jazz uniform with averages of 23.2 points, 8.2 boards, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 3.2 triples in just 55 appearances. The assists, steals and triples are all career-bests for Markkanen, who also shot a personal best from the charity stripe with an 89.9% mark. In his absence, Brice Sensabaugh and Johnny Juzang should see increased minutes for the final fortnight of the season.

They aren’t even trying to hide it anymore. Markkanen is simply out due to “injury maintenance”. Brice Sensabaugh should return to the starting unit in place of Markkanen, while Collin Sexton will continue to play a large role off the bench and put up gaudy numbers. Kris Dunn will remain in the starting unit and be a decent source of steals.