Oct 22, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Milwaukee Bucks forward Drew Gooden (0) controls the ball as Toronto Raptors center Amir Johnson (15) defends at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Bucks 104-95. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the absence of Nene and Kevin Seraphin, the Washington Wizards have still managed to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, but they couldn’t have done it without the help for a few veteran additions. Drew Gooden, who the team signed to a 10-day contract a few weeks ago, has surprisingly been one of their most important bench players as of late. Gooden is averaging over 13 points over the past three games, but he’s also done it at a very efficient rate, making over 70 percent of his shots in the three contests.

Gooden has shown no signs of slowing down and has fit in with the rest of the team extremely well. His ability to knock down the 15 to 18 foot jump shot has opened the floor for some of Washington’s wing players, but he’s also been making some three point shots, which we didn’t see from Gooden in his previous seasons in the NBA.

Drew Gooden’s second 10-day contract is coming to an end soon, but according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Wizards will sign him for the rest of the season:

According to a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Wizards intend to retain Gooden for the rest of the season.

Nene will likely be making his return in April and Kevin Seraphin is expected to return tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, but the Wizards will keep Gooden for depth and scoring off the bench. Of course, injuries are obviously unpredictable and having a veteran like Gooden on the team won’t do any harm.

If Gooden keeps playing at a high level, he’ll still probably end up getting regular minutes off the bench. Kevin Seraphin has been inconsistent and it’s not certain that he’ll even play over Gooden at this point.

I’m surprised that Gooden has been playing this well after missing so much time since getting waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, but it’s been a really solid pickup for the Wizards.