Marvin Williams blossoms as 3-point shooter

• THE 3-POINT SHOW: The invitations won’t go out for at least a month or so, but if Hawks forward Marvin Williams gets an offer to participate in the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend he’ll gladly accept.

After making just one of his 10 3-point attempts from a year go, Williams is one of the top 10 3-point shooters in the NBA — he’s tied for ninth at .474, while teammate Mo Evans leads the team and ranks fourth at .500.

“Without a doubt I’d accept,” Williams said before the Hawks faced the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Philips Arena. “You go out there and make them all or you miss them all. Either way, that would have to be the experience of a lifetime.”

Williams would have the ideal coach if he does make it into the field. He has been working overtime this season Hawks’ shooting consultant Mark Price. They do a drill at the end of practice that is like the 3-point shooting contest but without the ball racks.

“Yeah, that’s a little different than what we do because those guys [in the 3-point shooting contest] look winded after every round,” Williams said. “But the practice would get me ready, and I’d go out there and give it everything I’ve got.”

• WELCOME BACK: In his first game after missing 12 straight, Josh Smith had four assists, three points and two steals in his first six minutes of action in nearly a month. He went down in the first quarter of a Nov. 7 win over Toronto with a high ankle sprain. Smith finished with six points, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 14 closely monitored minutes. Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he’ll monitor Smith’s minutes until he returns to form.

• BIBBY, C-WEBB REUNITED: Hawks point guard Mike Bibby will be reunited with his former Sacramento Kings teammate Chris Webber as a studio guest during Thursday night’s TNT NBA coverage. Bibby and Webber, now an analyst with the network, played together on powerhouse Kings teams that routinely played deep into the Western Conference playoffs.

— Sekou Smith