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John Wall is dribbling with his swollen hand; may play Game 5

By Stanford Crissey

May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) winces in pain against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) winces in pain against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wizards point guard John Wall is dribbling but uncertain for game 5 against Hawks

After suffering a hand injury in the Washington Wizards’ series against the Atlanta Hawks, point guard John Wall is inching his way back to a return to action.

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Wall fractured his left hand and has missed a total of three games as a direct result. But there is hope that he can return in this series, and Tuesday brought good news with Wall returning to practice — kind of.

In case Wizards fans need to see it to believe it, here’s Wall taking some shots with his right hand (he is right-handed). He still can’t take shots from the left side, but the dribbling is progress, and Wall is gearing up for a return to the series.

Despite the progress, the team is still unsure whether Wall will be able to join them for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Wizards jumped out to a surprising 2-1 series lead, despite missing Wall for two of those games. However, the Hawks evened the series on Monday with a 106-101 win. It was the first time all series that the Hawks truly looked like a 60-win number one seed; and with Game 5 taking place in Atlanta, where the Hawks are 35-6, the Wizards may need Wall to have any shot.

Replacement point guard Ramon Sessions shot just 7-for-24 in Game 4 and hasn’t come close to replacing the talented Wall, a two-time All-Star and the leader of the Wizards. Fellow point guard Will Bynum has been slightly better, but neither is the difference-maker that Wall is. A team led by Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce just isn’t as scary to opponents as one featuring Wall.

Wall averaged 17.6 points and 10.0 assists per game for the season.

The odds were severely in the Hawks’ favor with Wall; without him, it’s hard to envision Washington taking two games out of three to win the series. They can’t rely on Paul Pierce buzzer-beaters forever.

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