ESPN's Jonathan Givony makes the first-round case for Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh

Brice Sensabaugh burst onto the scene for Ohio State as a freshman this past season and saw his name come up in NBA Draft circles right away. But a season-ending surgery cut things short during the Big Ten Tournament and appears to be impacting his draft stock.

Sensabaugh came in as the No. 31 overall pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft released Tuesday, making him the first pick of the second round. However, ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony argued that’s too low for someone of Sensabaugh’s skillset.

If not for the surgery, Givony argued Sensabaugh could be in the lottery conversation. That’s why if he ends up in the second round, he’d be a steal — and it would a “big mistake” if teams pass on him.

“[Sensabaugh] started the year — he was in the lottery and he slid down because he had a season-ending surgery that has concerned some teams,” Givony said on SportsCenter Tuesday. “They’ve looked at a little bit of his medical history, and there’s a sense that he could end up in the late first or early second round on draft night. I think that’s a mistake. Brice Sensabaugh is a top-20 player in this class.

“He is the No. 1 scorer at 27 points per 40 minutes, he shot over 40% from three. This guy did it as a freshman in the Big Ten, the highest level of competition. This guy can get buckets. And for him to go in the late first or early second is a big mistake.”

This past year at Ohio State, Sensabaugh averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2% from the field, including 40.5% from three-point distance. He suffered a knee injury during the Big Ten Tournament that later required surgery, and he had two previous surgeries in high school. Still, he opted to stay in the draft rather than return to Ohio State after leading the Buckeyes in scoring and appears primed to hear his name called at some point.

The 2023 NBA Draft gets underway Thursday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Sensabaugh is hoping to become the latest Ohio State player to hear his name called in the draft after two players — Malaki Branham and EJ Liddell — went last year. Branham was selected in the first round at No. 20 overall by the San Antonio Spurs and Liddell went at No. 41 to the New Orleans Pelicans.