Rockets Have Dominated the Boards Since Sengun's Move to Starting Lineup

Even in the 2022-23 season, where the Rockets finished with only 22 wins, they still finished second in rebounding. That was also the season Sengun became a full-time starter after spending his rookie season mainly coming off the bench. Sengun's rookie year saw him start only 13 games, playing a little over 20 minutes a game. That season, the Rockets finished 18th in rebounding.

The following season saw Sengun start 72 games and play over 28 minutes per game. That is when the Rockets shifted from a middle-of-the-road rebounding team to one of the best in the NBA. That season, the Rockets finished second in rebounding, and Sengun averaged a career-high nine rebounds per game.

Sengun and the Rockets' rebound numbers would only go up from there after the hiring of Ime Udoka. Udoka has preached two things above all else from day one: defense and rebounding. The Rockets would finish second again in rebounding in the 2023-24 season, and Sengun again set a career high mark with 9.3 rebounds per game.

That was only the beginning, as Udoka's second year as Rockets coach would see the team have one of its best rebounding seasons in the last 50-plus years of the franchise. The Rockets finished as the best rebounding team in the NBA by a wide margin, leading the second-place team by over two rebounds per game.

Of course, a big part of that was the Rockets implementing the double-big lineup of Steven Adams and Sengun the last few months of the season. Adams, in fact, has been part of three of the best rebounding teams in NBA history. Sengun, however, was the main reason for the Rockets' dominance on the boards as he set yet another career high, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.

The Rockets head into the 2025-26 season as one of the favorites to bring home an NBA championship. With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Rockets have one of the best offensive players in NBA history. Even with that addition, the Rockets will still hang their hat on their defense and especially their rebounding, led by Alperen Sengun.