Ja Morant – always the belle of the Memphis Grizzlies’ ball – made multiple half-court shots.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey received two of the more rousing ovations during player introductions from the more than 2,000 fans who came out to FedExForum Oct. 4 for the team’s annual open practice.

And GG Jackson and Cam Spencer put on a show during the 3-point shooting competition.

But vibes won the day. The players, coming off a taxing three-day training camp in Nashville, were loose throughout and as is often the case, the highlight of the early afternoon event was the rookie dance-off. Javon Small dipped into his bag to help take the crown from first-round pick Cedric Coward. Small pulled a Yuki Kawamura, calling upon Morant and sharing the spotlight with him, which sent fans into a frenzy.

“We had said something (about it) before, but it was more just like a flow thing,” Small said. “We know the crowd loves Ja, so I had to bring him out there.”

Tuomas Iisalo praised the team’s energy and walked away from the open practice somewhat relieved given his standing as a rookie coach.

“I was thinking about that,” he said. “As long as there’s no coach dance-off, we’re good. (But) the vibes with the team are great.”

Grizzlies’ training camp impressions

The team spent three days at Belmont’s Crockett Center to gear up for its Oct. 6 (7 p.m.) preseason opener against the Detroit Pistons at FedExForum.

Iisalo said they made “a ton of headway” in that short span.

“Very impressed with the energy, with the focus, with the effort of the guys,” he said. “(But) there’s an underrated aspect of NBA players. Everybody talks about how skilled they are, how athletic they are – but their ability to learn new things is unique.”

What Grizzlies are looking for in preseason games

The Pistons will be the first of five preseason games for the Grizzlies.

“Ideally, when we start Monday, it should already have the skeleton in place of what we want to do in all phases of the game,” Iisalo said.

It will be the first time Iisalo’s new system will be put to a test against an opponent. He has made it clear already that the Grizzlies will play with plenty of pace and a lot of intensity on both ends of the floor.

Jaylen Wells previewed the players’ plan on defense.

“We’re going to be intense on defense. We’re going to be annoying on defense,” he said. “When teams play us, they’re gonna go home and be like, ‘Dang, I don’t want to play them again.’ ”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X.