Dewayne Dedmon set to return against Clippers

After the Atlanta Hawks listed him as probable earlier in the day, Dewayne Dedmon will be active on Monday evening against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Dedmon missed 19 games with a left tibia stress reaction and was slated to miss approximately six weeks when the injury was announced in late January. Monday’s game marks five weeks and five days since the Hawks released news of the injury on Nov. 29, putting him right in line with the initial diagnosis.

Dedmon warmed up before Saturday’s game against the Lakers and was able to do one-footed jumps off that injured leg. It remains to be seen how many minutes he’ll get against the Clippers, but it’s a good sign nonetheless to get him back in the lineup for a Hawks team that has struggled defensively without him. Over the past 19 games, only the Bucks and Kings have been worse on that end of the court than Atlanta.

Dedmon is averaging career-highs in every per-game statistic as he’s found a starting role with the Hawks after four up-and-down years with four different teams. After shooting exactly one three in four years elsewhere, the Hawks have him firing from distance, shooting 48.3 percent on a little more than two threes per game.

Atlanta’s offense has turned a corner over the past few weeks and getting Dedmon back will help on that end as well.