Hawks’ Hunter upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game

De’Andre Hunter has played in only 11 games this season, undergoing surgery on his right wrist to repair a tendon injury in mid-November.

But, there’s optimism he could return as soon as Wednesday’s game vs. the Heat, with Hunter playing 5-on-5 for the first time in Tuesday’s practice and listed as questionable on the team’s injury report Tuesday evening. Hunter’s return wouldn’t be a cure-all for the Hawks’ much-maligned defense, and it would obviously take him a while to get back in the swing of things, but it could eventually give them a boost in that category.

“It was good to get him out there. ... We’ll see how Dre feels and we’ll make a decision here this week,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said of Hunter’s availability.