The Houston Rockets signed NBA journeyman P.J. Tucker this offseason. What will Tucker add to the Rockets roster as they contend for a championship?

The Houston Rockets had one of the more eventful offseasons this summer. Of course, it was headlined by the trade for Chris Paul, who now joins James Harden in one of the most interesting superstar pairings in league history.

However, in that Paul trade, the Rockets gave up a lot of their depth. Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, and Montrezl Harrell were all sent to the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving the Rockets pretty thin.

Houston was especially thin in the frontcourt, making the four-year, $32 million signing of P.J. Tucker (as reported by The Vertical‘s Shams Charania) even more valuable and important. After signing Tucker, Daryl Morey added Luc Mbah a Moute, Tarik Black and re-signed Nene to re-tool the bench depth.

The Rockets are once again deep, and this time they should be improved defensively. The signing of Tucker was one of the better depth-related signings of the summer, and while the length of the contract may bite Houston in the end (Tucker is 32 years old), he should be a valuable piece off the bench for the Rockets in the near future.

Tucker is a versatile and physical defender that is capable of guarding both guards and forwards. His ability to switch onto smaller guards or bigger forwards is extremely valuable, especially in the Western Conference.

Last season Tucker posted a defensive box plus-minus of 1.9 and a defensive real plus-minus of 1.78, good for 12th in the league among small forwards. Just look at some of the plays Tucker makes on the defensive end in a game against the Boston Celtics last season:

Tucker has the ability to shut down players at any position, making his value on the defensive end nearly endless.

However, things get tricky on the offensive end. Given his relatively limited shooting ability, Tucker is best suited to play more minutes at power forward in small lineups. He can guard most opposing power forwards and is capable of switching on to guards in the pick-and-roll.

Tucker is certainly limited offensively, as he primarily spots up in the corner for three-pointers. For his career, 72.3 percent of his three-point attempts have come from the corner. Last season, he hit 45.5 percent of such shots from beyond the arc.

Now playing alongside James Harden and Chris Paul, Tucker should benefit greatly on the offensive end by getting even more open looks from beyond the arc. Tucker’s shooting has improved in recent years, as he even shot 40 percent on three-pointers with the Toronto Raptors last season.

If Tucker can maintain close to that level of shooting, the Rockets’ offense won’t stagnate with him on the floor. The signing of Mbah a Moute could signal the two playing together at times, which could cramp the floor-spacing (especially if Tucker is moved to small forward).

After losing Patrick Beverley, the Rockets were in need of a tough, physical defender. Tucker has a similar attitude to the game as Beverley does, which will benefit the Rockets during tough stretches of the game and season.

Now with Tucker, Houston can throw out good defensive lineups including any combination of Paul, Trevor Ariza, Tucker, Clint Capela, and Mbah a Moute. Nene and Tarik Black aren’t too shabby defensively either. It’s safe to say that unlike in previous years, the Rockets will have enough defenders to throw at the elite players and teams.

In the end, while many fans were surprised by the length of the contract, the yearly salary is certainly reasonable for a player of Tucker’s defensive abilities. He is a dynamic and versatile defender that can guard multiple positions — a crucial ability to have in today’s NBA.

The Rockets needed to build their bench back up and add more defensive-minded players this summer. The signing of P.J. Tucker was the first step in doing so, as he brings versatile defense and capable three-point shooting to a Rockets team looking to cement its place in the upper echelon of the Western Conference.