Does a player's height give a measurable rebounding advantage on top of their Rebound rating?
How to test: Dev-confirmed in the Beta #2 update ('added height bonuses that favor skilled rebounders'). To quantify the size of the bonus, pit a tall, low-Rebound player against a short, high-Rebound player for the same loose board and log who comes down with it over many reps.
This one is confirmed, straight from the developers. In the Beta #2 update, the team said they “added height bonuses that favor skilled rebounders” and added “assisted directional guidance toward the ball during rebounds.” So on the glass, a player’s listed height is a genuine, coded advantage — not just a taller animation. The launch tuning worked the same lever from the physics side: the ball comes off the rim slower with more friction, deliberately making boards more winnable.
Why it matters
Rebounds are possessions, and possessions decide tight 3v3 games. If size carries a real bonus, then a tall player can win boards their Rebound rating alone wouldn’t predict — and a small guard, however good their Rebound number, gives a little of that back against length. It’s exactly why The Run Guru’s power score factors height in as its own attribute rather than trusting the bars to capture it.
What’s still open: how big is the bonus?
“Confirmed” means we know the bonus exists — not how strong it is. The interesting follow-up is the size of the effect:
- Tall vs. skilled. Put a tall, low-Rebound player against a short, high-Rebound player and contest the same loose board repeatedly. Whoever wins the majority tells you whether height or the Rebound rating dominates.
- Stack them. Then test a tall and high-Rebound player to see how much the two compound.
- The assist. Watch how much the “directional guidance toward the ball” pulls you onto a board you’d otherwise miss, and whether it favors the better rebounder.
Post your clips and counts in the Evidence Locker below — they’ll help us tune exactly how much weight height deserves in the rankings.
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Frequently asked
Q. Does height help rebounding in NBA The Run?
Yes — confirmed by the developers. They stated they 'added height bonuses that favor skilled rebounders,' so a player's size is a real, coded advantage on the glass on top of their Rebound rating. There's also assisted directional guidance that nudges you toward the ball during a rebound.
Q. Should I draft tall players just for rebounding?
Size helps, but it stacks with the Rebound rating and positioning rather than replacing them. A tall player with a weak Rebound rating won't out-board a well-positioned specialist every time — height is a bonus, not the whole story. It's one reason The Run Guru power score factors a player's height in alongside the bars.