'You're So Tall': Rockets' Alperen Sengun Reveals Growth Spurt
The Houston Rockets' 2022-23 season had many reasons why it should be forgotten. However, they finished the year with the NBA's second-most rebounds per game (55.9).
Rockets center Alperen Sengun was the catalyst for this remarkable statistic. Sengun averaged 9.0 rebounds per game, the 19th-most in the NBA. His 3.2 offensive rebounds per game were the fifth-most (four-way tie for fourth) in the league.
Height is obviously a very important factor in getting rebounds — unless you're Russell Westbrook. With that being said, Sengun was one of a select few top-20 rebounders under 7-feet, as he was listed between 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-11 with shoes last season.
However, he revealed on the The Bradeaux & Will Show that he's gone through a growth spurt this offseason, but this isn't his first time experiencing increased height while in the NBA.
"I think right now I'm 6-11 without shoes," Sengun said. "When I came to the NBA [in 2021] I was 6-foot-9, but after one year [2020] they said the same thing, that I'd grown. So, they measured me again and I was 6-foot-10. Now I'm like 6-foot-11."
Sengun has returned to the Rockets facility for off-season training, and everyone quickly noticed his growth spurt.
"When I came back to Houston, they hadn't seen me for a while and forgot how tall I was," Sengun said. "They went crazy saying 'you're so tall!'"
Sengun's sudden growth spurt increases the chances that he'll soar in the rebounding stat categories for 2023-24.
You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver.
Want the latest in news and insider information on the Houston Rockets? Click here
Follow Inside the Rockets on Facebook here
Follow Inside the Rockets on Twitter @InsideRocketsFN
Want even more Houston Rockets news? Check out the SI.com team page here
