Markieff Morris has been a key force for the Washington Wizards throughout their two home games to start off the series against the Atlanta Hawks. An excellent fit as a role player on this team and a rugged customer on the glass, Morris has been able to be that third impactful player to make a difference and lead the Wizards to a 2-0 lead in the series.

“I've always been an enforcer, my whole life,” Morris told Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic. “My brother has been the talker and I was his backbone. I'm a guy who leads by example and not by vocal. That's what I do.”

Morris outplayed Hawks forward Paul Millsap in Game 1 to the tune of 21 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks — and while his offensive production in Game 2 was only a mere two points, his plus/minus rating of plus-16 was key in notching a very important second win.

“He's not scared of anybody and that's a big help for our team,” point guard John Wall said. “It's great. He brings other things to the game, offensively and defensively. Just with his physicality and playing defense.”

The backcourt one-two punch of Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 63 points, but did not leave out his teammate's effort or take it for granted.

“You always want to go to battle with a guy like that, somebody that you know will always have your back no matter what,” Beal said. “It's great. People kind of underestimate his abilities. They underestimate his impact on the game. For us, we feed off his energy and his mindset each and every night. He's confident. He's all about us. He's all about winning. He's a great player who is unselfish. He sacrifices and he does whatever it takes to win.”