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During his 25-game suspension to begin the 23-24 season, Ja Morant has quietly remained in the background, which sources from the Memphis Grizzlies say they’ve appreciated. Morant has been spotted at some Memphis-area high school basketball games and at a concert in late November.

“He’s a hardworking motherf—er. I know that,” Derrick Rose told ESPN. “I’m proud of him, very proud of him. Never complains. He’s there early, there after, at shootaround, practices. He’s doing everything the team wants him to do, and I’m just happy that he’s creating his own reality and his own bubble. You can just see it. You haven’t heard anything about him. And that’s a great thing.”

Kevin Helms, the Grizzlies’ head of team security, has his duties focused almost solely on shadowing Morant, team sources said.

The Grizzlies have privately expressed that they hope Morant has learned from the suspension. They also hope the time away from playing has allowed him to mature.