Utah Jazz draftees hoping former bonds will help them rise in Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY — As his whirlwind draft night was beginning to wind down, Taylor Hendricks took a glance at the draft board and noticed something: His former AAU teammate (and high school opponent) Brice Sensabaugh was still available, and his new team was getting ready to pick again.

"When (the Utah Jazz) picked him, I was ecstatic," Hendricks said. "Just to team up with him again, and the type of guy he is and the player he is, I was pretty happy."

Utah's draft picks Hendricks, Keyonte George and Sensabaugh — who were introduced Monday at Zion's Bank Basketball Campus — are at the beginning of an exciting, but admittedly strange, journey. After years of honing a craft and months of crisscrossing the country, working out for and interviewing with teams, the three officially have a new home.

In the coming days and weeks, they will meet new teammates, have dinners with new coaches, find places to live, and maybe even face some bold expectations from the fan base. It'll be both exhilarating and nerve wracking — and that'll be before they ever step foot on the court.

They think having a couple friends around them going through the same thing will only help.

"That bond is gonna be real great," George said.

George and Sensabaugh share an agent and worked out together during the pre-draft process. The former Baylor guard also already knew Hendricks through the "basketball world."

"It's great to go through this transition with two other guys," George said. "I'm blessed to do it with them. A lot of people get to do it by themselves, but now I've got people to go through it with; I've got people by my side."

As for Hendricks and Sensabaugh, it's a reunion of sorts. Hendricks' high school team actually beat Sensabaugh's in a playoff matchup — "We lost by two actually; I missed a three to put us up," Sensabaugh said — and the two played a season of AAU ball together in Florida, as well.

Did Sensabaugh know back then that Hendricks, who burst onto the scene last season with a star-making freshman year at Central Florida, was destined to be a lottery pick?

In short, no.

"Obviously, in hindsight, I probably can't tell you that, but I knew he was good," the former Ohio State wing said. "One thing I can tell you is that on a lot of teams he's been on, he's kind of been like the second or third option. He's always been good, but I knew going to a school like UCF where he can be the guy, I know he'd kind of take off from there for sure."

All three are hopeful they can help each other succeed at the highest level of the game.

"I think it's definitely a positive that I can go through this with a couple guys that I know," Sensabaugh said.

Hendricks said that he suffered a minor hamstring injury that kept him from working out for the Jazz in the pre-draft process but that he feels great now, and is hopeful he can play in Summer League. For his game, he compared himself to Miami's Bam Adebayo or Memphis's Jaren Jackson Jr.

"Those type of guys that do a little bit of everything — defend, block shots, guard pick-and-rolls, and stretch the floor," he said.

Sensabaugh hoped to maximize his potential with the Jazz and is eager to get to work with the organization: "I don't want to settle for less than what I'm capable of," he said.

George, meanwhile, said he had no expectations coming in and was ready to "grind" and do whatever the coaching staff wanted him to do. While there will be some ups and downs surely to come, everything has been positive so far, the trio said.

They've had good communications with their new teammates (members of the Jazz were quick to reach out to the new draftees via text), and, if first impressions are to be believed, they think they're going to enjoy their new home.

"Everybody's been very welcoming," Hendricks said. "Even on my flight to Utah, I've been taking pictures with people."

Added George: "Man, it's beautiful out here in Utah — beautiful people in this organization, feels like everybody has a common goal in place. Everybody here is willing to work. That's the first impression I really got, being in a facility, being around all the guys. It's a great culture here."