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Try to think of the last time an NBA player completely transformed his game in his 30’s. Tough to think of one, right? Drew Gooden, who the Washington Wizards signed to a 10-day contract a few seasons ago, has done exactly that.

After Nene went down with injury, Washington quickly scooped Gooden up from the free agent market. Gooden, who was waived under the amnesty provision by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, wasn’t getting much interest from teams around the league. Still, the 32-year-old Gooden continued to work on his game in the D.C. area and eventually got the call from the Wizards.

When the Washington Wizards signed Gooden, most people (myself included) were skeptical of the signing.

First off, Gooden had missed most of the season, and again, wasn’t generating much interest from teams.

Secondly, Gooden shares representatives with John Wall, Martell Webster, Nene and others.

To put it bluntly, it seemed like the Wizards were just doing the agency a favor.

Even if that was the case — and I don’t think it was since Washington had kept tabs on Gooden throughout the season — they obviously found a steal.

Gooden immediately cracked Randy Wittman‘s rotation and gave the team a much needed scoring spark off the bench. At 32-years-old, Gooden has completely changed his game to fit a role that the Washington Wizards desperately needed.

Gooden, who’s been a good mid-range jump shooter for most of his NBA career, began spreading the floor for Washington in ways that no one else on the roster could.

In 22 games with Washington in 2014, Gooden made over 40 percent of his three point attempts — a career high percentage for a player who’s been in the league for 13 years.

Gooden gave us all of the outside shots and shoulder shrugs in 2014, but no one really knew if it was sustainable. Washington acquired a number of bigs in the following off-season, including Kris Humphries, so playing time was scarce.

Even though his didn’t get consistent minutes, Gooden always found a way to make a positive impact this past season when he was called upon.

When Humphries missed some time at the end of the season, Gooden stepped up and continued to do what he does best: hit outside shots, rebound and shoulder shrug.

His play in the post-season earned him another deal with the Washington Wizards this summer — a raise, even.

Gooden is the only player that I could think of that’s turned a 10-day contract into a three year stint with the Wizards.

With Jared Dudley out, Wittman will probably depend on Gooden on a regular basis at the start of the season.

In the playoffs, Gooden made over 46 percent of his threes. Although his overall shooting percentage was low — just 38 percent — his three point shooting did give Washington the spacing they needed. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Paul Pierce and Marcin Gortat all had space to operate.

Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey allowed Gooden to get open looks, essentially living with any of the shots he made. Evidently, no one on the Toronto coaching staff watched Gooden play for Washington because he’s been knocking down outside shots consistently in the nation’s capital.

He’s not a prototypical stretch four, but Gooden does space the floor better than any other big man on Washington’s roster. He’s a good rebounder and he’s surprisingly solid defensively at times.

Gooden isn’t a high profiled name nor is he flashy, but he still can get the job done. Like Humphries, Gooden will be a contributor for the Washington Wizards this upcoming season.