Atlanta Hawks most likely bench player to break into the starting unit

As we come to the part of the offseason where teams have made most of the roster moves, it is time to take a look at who is pushing the incumbent starters. Which player on the Atlanta Hawks roster is most likely to have pushed themselves ahead of their competition?

The Hawks have a number of players on their roster who could be considered if that is what the team needed. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a starting-caliber player who came off the bench for the last part of the season. However, with the Hawks trading for Dejounte Murray, it is likely that the Hawks will use Bogdanovic as a super-sub, keeping their sixth man of the year history alive.

There is also a potential case for Justin Holiday to start in place of De’Andre Hunter as he is a quality 3-and-D player. He has also played under Nate McMillan previously which could work in his favor. However, this should not be Holiday’s role with the team this season. So, which player has the greatest potential to become a starter this season?

Which Atlanta Hawks player has the potential to become a starter this season?

To anyone who watched many Hawks games this season after he came back from shoulder surgery, Onyeka Okongwu showed what the Hawks had been missing. He is already capable of playing starter-level defense and has shown his true potential in the pick and roll.

While Okongwu has been cast as a post player, he has been working hard over the offseason on his mid-range game. He vowed to come back with a jump shot and from how good his mechanics look in some offseason footage, Okongwu has the potential to extend his range even further, even out to the 3-point line.

Whether that happens this season is debatable but he is showing incredible development and it could see him replace the offensively-limited Clint Capela. If this happens, expect the Hawks to trade the big man for a positional need and a backup center.