Reason #2 – he is a strong man defender
In the last off-season, the Blazers signed two defensive players, Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. Unfortunately for the Blazers, Covington is more a help defender than a man defender. The signing of Jones Jr didn’t work out at all, as he was out of the rotation by the end of the season and didn’t play any competitive minutes in the playoffs.
Covington is great as a help-side guy, but he isn’t the type of player who can guard the opposition’s best player. Tucker isn’t elite anymore at this, but he has the skills to slow down guys like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. You can put Tucker on the strong power forwards in the NBA, and he will give you 20 – 25 minutes of great defense. He has a six-foot-ten wingspan and great hands, so he can get deflections and slow down the opposition’s offense.
Tucker is great at boxing out and is a strong defensive rebounder also. He does the little things on both ends of the court that impact winning.