clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Drew Gooden struggled to make impact in third season with Wizards

By Alan Jenkins
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the season, Drew Gooden insisted he had no plans to retire. Only thing is, it might be hard for the 13-year veteran to find a new home, at least in the NBA. Gooden averaged 2.7 points on 32 percent shooting this season; both career lows.

It looked like Gooden was going to be a part of the team's rotation early in the season. He played nearly 20 minutes in the season opener. But just four games later, he racked up his first DNP of the season as Dudley started to return to form from offseason surgery . Gooden's inability to make outside shots this season made him a poor fit for the Wizards' pace-and-space style. As mentioned, Gooden shot just 32 percent from the field including a woeful 17 percent from three-point range.

Gooden also had plenty of nagging injuries throughout the season that kept him sidelined.

When he got minutes, Gooden provided some nice energy on the offensive glass. He averaged just shy of one offensive rebound per game.  The opposition still had to account for Gooden when he was on the floor to prevent him from getting any putbacks. His best game of the season came against the Bulls in mid-January where he notched 10 points and 12 rebounds.

At this point in his career, Gooden is purely an energy guy when he does get minutes. I don't believe the Wizards will re-sign him but if they do, he'll likely only see the court during garbage time.

Let's end this season recap on a high note when Gooden came thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to bringing the house down.