He often talks barely above a whisper.
O.J. Mayo clearly wants his game to speak at a high volume.
And the Grizzlies like the tone from their 6-5 rookie guard after one week of training camp.
He arrives early and stays late. His competitive spirit never needs booster cables. Mayo is making a smooth transition so far.
"He's shown everything he's shown before," Griz head coach Marc Iavaroni said, referring to Mayo's offseason work.
"He's tremendous competitor. He pays a lot of attention to defense. He's got a balanced game. He's learning that he can be an assassin in this league."
That Mayo isn't trying to do too much is perhaps his best characteristic. He's delivered the wow factor at times with spectacular plays in practice, but Mayo seems to focus more on asking questions, learning and blending into a framework established by returnees Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley.
Asked what he's learned after one week of an NBA training camp, Mayo responded with "patience."
"I'm just being patient," he said. "That's an adjustment so I just try to stay in good with the team. I want to stay poised and find a rhythm. Everybody has been helping me get acclimated to the system."
Mayo is seeing most, if not all, of his time at shooting guard, where he'll likely start when Grizzlies play Tuesday at Houston in their first game of the exhibition season.
Last Saturday during a public scrimmage, Mayo showed his versatile scoring ability and was unselfish with the basketball. He wasn't mistake-prone when the second unit forced the ball out of his hands with double-team defense at the top of the key.
His elevation at the rim and on jump shots, along with deft 3-point shooting, has stood out.
On defense, Mayo's quick hands, good footwork and energy make him effective.
The desire to lead and refuse-to-lose attitude are traits as evident with the Grizzlies' complete cast as they were in summer league and pick-up games.
But Mayo hasn't been involved in any confrontations with teammates -- at least nothing like the altercation that required teammates to separate him from 7-footer Darko Milicic in a pick-up game two weeks ago.
"He's also understanding the need to have a balance to your competitiveness where you're always in control and thinking ahead," Iavaroni said. "That comes with time. He's young."
Still, Mayo, who will turn 21 in a month, is impressing teammates and coaches with maturity that seems to extend beyond his years. They say Mayo's basketball instincts distinguish him from most 20-year-olds.
If he seems unflappable, it's because Mayo draws from vast and high-end basketball experiences.
He was a part of the 2008 U.S. Select Team that helped the Olympic Team prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Mayo often played opposite Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant in those Las Vegas sessions.
"I held my own," said Mayo, who was acquired by the Grizzlies in a seven-player, draft-night trade with Minnesota that sent UCLA forward Kevin Love and Mike Miller to the Timberwolves for Greg Buckner, Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric.
The trade was met with great approval and anticipation of Mayo becoming a star from the Grizzlies' fan base.
None of that is lost on Mayo. Right now, though, he's concentrating on being a lot more than hype.
"It's a long season," Mayo said. "I want to work hard, but I understand that this is a process. It's fun getting the team together and getting ready to go to war together. It's been really competitive. It's all about hard work right now."
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