Williams may play for Hawks Friday

Marvin Williams has to clear just one last hurdle before returning to action for the Hawks.

Depending on how he feels at Thursday’s shoot-around practice, Williams could suit up against Indiana Friday night, Hawks coach Mike Woodson said.

“We’re going to see how he feels after shoot-around and then we’ll gauge it from there and see what he wants to do,” Woodson said. “If he tells me he’s ready to go, we’ll make a decision as to what we’re going to do with him.”

Williams went through a rugged half-court workout with some teammates Thursday as Woodson and the Hawks training staff watched every second.

Williams has missed the Hawks’ last 16 games with a lower back injury.

“We just wanted to monitor him and see where he was,” Woodson said. “He got knocked around a little bit today. The test will be once he sleeps and wakes up tomorrow and see how he feels physically.”

Williams said he felt fine after the workout. He stopped short of putting a percentage on the chance that he’ll return against the Pacers.

“I couldn’t even do that,” he said. “It just depends on how I feel. Some days I work out and wake up the next morning and I feel fine. And then some days I work out and then wake up the next morning and I’m super sore. But I’m very confident I’ll have a chance to get back.”

After Williams suffered the injury in a March 7 win over Detroit there was talk that his season might be over and that surgery was an option. Instead, he opted for a rehabilitation program.

Now, a little over a month after being told he would be sidelined from six to eight weeks, it appears Williams could return by the end of the regular season, and perhaps the playoffs.

“I thought I was done [for the season] when they first explained it all to me,” Williams said. “The playoffs were certainly going to be a push or at least a stretch. I had high hopes, though. And now I definitely feel like I’m going to be back to my old self for the playoffs.”