Why Wizards Don't Need an Enforcer

When you think of an NBA enforcer, it brings you back to Charles Oakley and Dennis Rodman with the 1990s Chicago Bulls, Steven Adams on the Russell Westbrook-led Oklahoma City Thunder, or even Markieff Morris of the John Wall-era Washington Wizards.

Do the Wizards have an enforcer on their current roster? Yes and no. While they don't have an official tough guy who brings toughness and protects the star player, they have a collective toughness and team mentality that will make Washington a tough place to win on the road once the Wizards figure it all out.

What and who influenced this mentality? It comes down to a balance of young prospects that fit the mold and veterans who help instill the mentality. Let's start with the young core.

Young Core Fits the Mold 

When you look at all five draft picks in the Will Dawkins era, they all fit the mold of how the Wizards want to build this team. Three factors are prioritized by the Wizards' front office: being versatile, having the ability to spread the floor, and being a good defender.

While Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr were raw offensively coming out of their respective drafts, each has the offensive potential to become a weapon at some point. It's their defense that shines, however.

Tristan Vukcevic also has rim protection potential and is slotted to be the back-up center of the future.

It's Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George who have impressed the most, though. It was their offense that had many scouts happy, but it's their defense that has had the biggest influence on their development. They can still flat-out score, but it's their defense that fuels their competitive fires. They both play with a massive chip on their shoulders and carry a "dawg" mentality that has been sorely needed in DC for some time, but youthful fire can quickly get out of hand.

What hand does some of the veterans play with how the young core not only develops, but develops to the point where they can eventually take over the reigns?

Veteran Leadership

Having defensive-minded and tough young prospects is half of the battle. You need veterans who bring toughness and mentorship that'll help the young core take over at some point. Brush fires can get out of hand if there is no supervision or experience around. It's good to know what to do when things are good, but what happens when things go bad? 

Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton have been central to the Wizards building a defensive mentality that will pay dividends in the future. Both have played in the big games, defended the big names, and handed down 10+ years of NBA knowledge. Both brought the intensity early on in DC, and the young players fed off of that energy.

Do the Wizards need a Rodman or Adams? No. They have the collective mentality and team attitude that will make teams regret coming into DC or even playing the Wizards. In a three-point dependent league, defense is starting to become a premium again, and if the Wizards want to be the next up-and-coming squad to come out of the Eastern Conference, they must have the attitude and mentality to match the scoring explosion that the NBA is going through right now.

Someone has to stop all of the threes. Why not the Wizards?