Drew Gooden, 2014-15 regular season stats: 5.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 40% FG%, 39% 3P%, 16.9 minutes, 51 games

The Washington Wizards struck gold when they signed Drew Gooden a few years ago after Nene got injured. How many players have reinvented their games at 30+-years-old? Not many.

Gooden recognized Washington’s need for spacing and immediately became a contributor. He turned a 10-day contract into a multi-year stint with the Wizards. Gooden had one foot out of the NBA after he was amnestied by the Milwaukee Bucks, but a few seasons later, he continues to find himself in important situations for the Wizards.

Ernie Grunfeld signed a bunch of big men last summer, so Gooden’s role was smaller than the year prior.

Marcin Gortat, Nene, Kris Humphries and Kevin Seraphin got most of the minutes at the front court positions. But, like virtually all of the veterans on Washington’s bench, Gooden stayed ready even when his number wasn’t getting called.

After Humphries got hurt late in the season, Randy Wittman turned to Gooden for production.

The 34-year-old big man isn’t very efficient anymore, but he did give the Wizards something they desperately needed last year: perimeter shooting.

In the playoffs, Gooden took Humphries’ spot in the rotation and helped bury the Toronto Raptors in four games.

With John Wall and Bradley Beal creating off the dribble, Gooden had all the space he needed to drill shots from the outside.

Dwane Casey seemed OK with letting Gooden get open jumpers and it ultimately cost him. Gooden made over 46 percent of his looks from three point territory — an unsustainable number that helped get him a raise this summer.

Like last year, though, Gooden isn’t expected to get much playing time this upcoming season.

He’s not getting any younger and the Washington Wizards are hoping to play more small-ball. The Wizards didn’t have a real stretch four last season and they lacked depth at the wing positions.

This season, they have players like Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson, Martell Webster and Kelly Oubre who could fill the shooting void. Wall, Beal and Gary Neal should also provide a spark in that aspect of the game, given the team’s focus on three point shooting.

So, where will Gooden fit into the team’s rotation?

Right now, it doesn’t look like he’s going to get consistent minutes. But, at this point, he can’t expect anything consistent in terms of playing time.

Gortat is going to remain the starting center and Nene will get plenty of playing time with the bench. Humphries is a better rebounder and defender than Gooden, and he’s also improved his three point shooting. Perhaps more than anything else, Washington’s improved depth at the wing positions will almost certainly take time away from Gooden.

Gooden is someone coach Wittman can depend on if the players ahead of him fail to produce, and honestly, that’s not necessarily the worst role to have.

If Dudley has a rough night, Wittman knows that he has a reliable scorer on the bench in Gooden. More importantly, Gooden is someone who’s going to stay ready. He’s going to show someone like Kelly Oubre how important it is to be ready for an opportunity when one presents itself.

It’ll be interesting to see how Gooden performs this season, even if he’s not a regular in Wittman’s rotation. It’s bizarre to see a player become a legitimate threat from three after not shooting very many for the majority of his career. It makes you wonder how good he might’ve been if he shot more threes and less deep twos throughout the course of his career. Prior to last season’s playoffs, Gooden never made a single three point shot in the postseason.

Every team needs a player like Drew Gooden. He sets a great example for the younger players and he can still get it done on the court. The only thing he’s missing is that awesome patch of hair.