Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll will return from thumb injury on Friday against Warriors

At the beginning of the day on Thursday, the Atlanta Hawks listed starting small forward (and defensive stopper) DeMarre Carroll as “day-to-day” as a result of the thumb injury that has cost him the past two games. Then, the team got some very good news, with the return of Carroll to the practice court.

From there, Carroll wasn’t done (as noted by Chris Vivlamore of the AJC), as he was vocal about the fact that he will return to the lineup just in time to face off with the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

On the surface, it may seem minor for a playoff-bound team like Atlanta to be in desperate need of DeMarre Carroll, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The offensively proficient Warriors are the next opponent for the Hawks, and Carroll is easily the team’s best perimeter defender. In addition, Atlanta recently lost their best overall player (and defender) in Al Horford, and any stability that a guy like Carroll could provide would be welcomed.

The 27-year-old Carroll is having, by far, the best season of his career, averaging 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but his contribution goes far beyond that, and it’s a great sign for the Hawks that he’ll be back on Friday.