Ja Morant is prioritising having fun after he helped the Memphis Grizzlies to a 116-103 win over the Indiana Pacers.
On his first home game back from his eight-month suspension from the NBA, Morant had 20 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies won a second game on the bounce.
Having starred on his first game back to help Memphis snap a five-game losing streak, Morant's first aim on the court on Thursday was to ensure his team were enjoying their basketball.
"The tough part was not being able to be out there and enjoy and have fun with my guys, but now that I'm out there, I'm making sure that we're all having fun no matter what," Morant said.
"So that was pretty much just my message. You could just tell by the energy of the team.
"We catch a lob, you got the bench going crazy, you got the players screaming, yelling, dapping each other up. That's our type of basketball. That's how we are. That's the team we are, the people we are."
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 31 points, adding six rebounds and seven assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed 21 points to Memphis' tally.
"Having those two guys alongside of me who can pretty much go and score the ball at will at different levels is big time for us," Morant added.
The excitement inside the FedExForum was palpable, with the home fans eager to see Morant back.
"It was great to feel that," said Bane.
"We've had several home games that weren't like that this season. Obviously, getting Ja back, everybody's super excited.
"You got to play the game with a lot of joy, and when you're losing and down, sometimes it's hard to find that spirit and that swag.
"But regardless, winning, losing, up, down, you got to have that fire and that fight. And I think we got that now."
The Pacers have been in poor form since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the final of the NBA's in-season tournament in Las Vegas, though did come into Thursday's game on the back of a resounding win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Pacers head Rick Carlisle said: "Overall, this was a tough game for a lot of reasons.
"We didn't play well, but we kept competing. I was really proud of the way the team kept their poise and their aggression.
"We got unlucky with some miscues and some missed shots."