Although he wasn’t the flashiest offseason signings, P.J. Tucker will be a key difference-maker for the Houston Rockets this season.

When the Houston Rockets signed P.J. Tucker to a four-year, $32 million deal, many praised the signing initially, but then overlooked the true significance of the addition. Tucker’s signing was quickly forgotten about as the NBA offseason continued with an unseen level of activity.

However, Tucker is beginning to remind everyone why they shouldn’t overlook his presence on any team, especially this Rockets team that was in dire need of good, versatile defenders.

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.

Perhaps just as important, Tucker has incredible awareness on the defensive end, leading him to know exactly when (and how) to attack unsuspecting offensive players. Two perfect examples of this is came late in Houston’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the first play below, Tucker reaches in to disrupt Joel Embiid‘s post move, leading him to lose the ball:

Now watch Tucker wait for Embiid to turn towards the baseline before running over to double-team him, eventually ripping the ball out and getting the steal. Tucker is aware that as soon as Embiid turns toward the baseline, he won’t be able to effectively pass it out of the post, which allows Tucker to sneak in and cause the turnover:

Those are just two examples of Tucker’s incredible defensive awareness and ability. Having Tucker alongside Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza gives Houston a plethora of wing defenders to throw at opposing teams at a nightly basis.

Turning to the offensive end, Tucker can truly become an X-factor for the Rockets if he can consistently make his 3-pointers. For his career, Tucker is an average shooter (35.2 percent) from beyond the arc, but attempted just 2.2 such shots per game.

However, now that he is in Houston, he is letting it fly on a regular basis, attempting 4.6 3-pointers per game so far this season, making 39.1 percent of them. After posting a 3-point attempt rate of 33.9 percent throughout his career, his rate this season is a staggering 82.1 percent!

Tucker isn’t asked to do much on offense. In fact, it really comes down to two things: standing in the corner for 3-pointers (and at Tucker’s discretion, crashing the offensive glass). Tucker executed his offensive role perfectly in the opening night win against the Golden State Warriors, when he finished with 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.

In fact, Tucker showed an ability to hit wing threes, and in the clip below, he noticed a space on the floor, ran to it, and sunk a 3-pointer off a pass from James Harden:

So far Tucker has hit 39.1 percent of his 3-pointers, and 100 percent of them have been assisted on. Again, Tucker (and the Rockets) know he is limited offensively, so just hoping he shoots above average beyond the arc is the most you can really hope for. So far, so good.

In the end, Tucker provides almost all of his value on the defensive end. He gives Houston a tough, rugged and versatile defender that can guard nearly every position on the floor. That versatility is incredible valuable and important in today’s NBA, and now the Rockets have two players with such ability.

If Tucker continues to hit threes at a similar rate, he will provide tremendous value for the Rockets both throughout the regular season and in the playoffs.