PHOENIX — Mike Budenholzer was recently asked about Kevin Durant’s leadership over the past month. The first-year Phoenix Suns coach didn’t hold back. He said Durant has been “off the charts.” He praised Durant’s actions. He praised his voice. And he said the veteran forward has set the tone for the Phoenix organization.

After Saturday night’s 103-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, which increased the Suns’ record to 5-1, Durant was asked for his reaction to Budenholzer’s comments.

First, Durant wanted to know something: “Why’d you ask him that?” he said.

Durant’s leadership is not a new NBA topic, but during an Oct. 24 episode of “First Take,” ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith used it as a reason to argue against the Suns as a serious contender. The popular basketball analyst praised Durant’s greatness and commitment, but he questioned the 14-time All-Star’s leadership and ability to inspire teammates.

After “First Take” posted the segment on social media, Durant responded on X, telling Smith that he respectfully disagreed and that he would argue “passionately” that his intangibles have always been on par with his talent.

In the Phoenix locker room Saturday night, after several teammates had already left Footprint Center, Durant spoke more forcefully.

“Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” he told The Athletic. “I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”

I would disagree stephen. I would argue, passionately, that my intangibles have always been on par with my talent

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 24, 2024

Smith, who has worked for more than three decades as an NBA and general sports columnist and multimedia personality, is not the first to question Durant’s leadership. Perhaps the sport’s most influential voice, Charles Barkley called Durant a “follower” during last season’s NBA All-Star weekend. If it’s not a sensitive topic for Durant, it’s an irritating one.

Durant doesn’t claim to be a perfect basketball player — “Of course, I got things I need to work on,” he said — but he said when people try to find something to criticize about his game, they often settle on leadership, “stuff that’s, like, so vague and subjective.”

For much of his nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was widely considered a leader of a rising team. At the end of each season, The Oklahoman published report cards on each player. Durant often got As in efficiency, defensive rebounding — and leadership. A headline about him in the Charlotte Observer once read: “Thunder star provides leadership to a team in transition but with expectations.”

Since leaving Oklahoma City in 2016, Durant has played for Golden State, where he won two titles, Brooklyn and Phoenix. And often, even while climbing to eighth on the NBA’s career scoring list, his leadership skills come up, especially when his teams fail to reach expectations.

In a recent phone interview, former Suns assistant coach Kevin Young said leadership comes in different forms. During his four seasons with the Suns, point guard Chris Paul led more with his voice, while Durant did so with his work habits. Young said there’s no secret sauce for Durant. He shows up every day and works hard. Then he shows up the next day and does the same thing. And the next day.

“But make no mistake about it, Kev speaks up in film sessions,” said Young, now the head coach at BYU. “Kev wants to win. He’s probably more vocal behind the scenes than I think people realize. At least he was in my experience.”

With Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns last season were expected to contend. Instead, they won 49 games and were swept in the postseason’s first round. The Athletic reported after the season that Durant was not always happy with how he was used in the offense, but that he also may not have adamantly voiced those concerns with the coaching staff. In May, owner Mat Ishbia and the front office fired then-coach Frank Vogel and later hired Budenholzer, setting the organization on a new path.

Durant, of course, remained a centerpiece.

“We’re kind of through the camp phase of life, but how hard he went in camp, the drills and the different things,” Budenholzer said last week of Durant. “He set the tone for us as an organization, for us as a team. And it’s not just been by leadership. It’s been his voice. He’s put his arms around young players. He’s put his arm around veterans. He’s put his arm around me. It’s something that’s important to us. I don’t know if he likes it or knows it, but I’m going to keep pushing him to be his best, in all ways, including as a leader.”

Asked if he’s tried to be more vocal this season, Durant, 36, said he’s been the “same dude.”

“Obviously, you grow as a human being, you get more comfortable with yourself, you get more comfortable talking to crowds as you experience more and more in the league,” he said in the locker room. “… I’ve always been on this trajectory, of diving deep into the game, not just for myself but for the whole team. To say that I’m just sitting here, you paint this picture of me coming into the locker room, not talking to my teammates, quiet, not talking to my coaches. Like, come on, man. It’s just ridiculous.”

Conversations with teammates about Durant’s leadership almost always start with his work ethic. It’s not so much the time that Durant puts in as the intensity and focus with which he attacks each session. Booker said the pace of Durant’s workouts is second to none.

“It’s contagious,” point guard Tyus Jones said. “He’s an all-time great. You see him showing up, going 110 percent each and every day, working on his craft. Even in Year 18, he’s still looking for ways to get better. He’s still pushing himself to get better. How do you not do the same?”

Reserve point guard Monte Morris played five seasons in Denver with star big man Nikola Jokić. He said Jokić would encourage him to make plays, and he said Durant has had a similar message here. Beal said Durant’s encouragement has helped rookie Ryan Dunn get off to such a solid start.

“A lot of times you’re in your mindset, you’re in ‘kill mode,’ and you want everybody else to follow suit,” Beal said. “But that encouragement that he gives and that confidence he gives Ryan, that goes a long way. That’s a reason why guys step up and play the way they do, when you have guys like (Durant) backing you up.”

“Everybody has their ways of getting into other people,” forward Josh Okogie said. “Some people are ‘rah-rah’ guys. We don’t have a lot of ‘rah-rah’ guys in here. We have guys who are all about results. You either do it or you don’t, and Kevin is a good guy who makes sure everybody is held accountable.”

For Durant, it’s a tired topic, and one that’s not likely to go away. But he’s happy about one thing.

“I’m glad my coaches and teammates got my back,” he said.

GO DEEPER

The Suns are off to a good start, and it goes beyond their offensive stars

(Top photo of Kevin Durant after Saturday’s win over the Trail Blazers: Kate Frese / NBAE via Getty Images)

The Oregon Ducks solidified themselves as the best team in the nation with a major victory over Michigan on Saturday.

The Ducks were rewarded with the unanimous No. 1 ranking in the latest Associated Press top 25 college football poll and Dillion Gabriel earned himself some Heisman Trophy talk with his performance. He had 294 passing yards and two total touchdowns.

It wasn’t so easy for the rest of the nation. Georgia had to do its darndest to fend off Florida, Ohio State outscored Penn State 6-3 in the second half to win their matchup, while Houston delivered a devastating upset against Kansas State.

With that said, here’s some of the winners and losers from the 10th week of the college football season.

Winners

Oregon: The Oregon Ducks showed the nation why they’re among the teams to beat this season. Dillon Gabriel is playing like a top quarterback, and they easily put Michigan away, 31-10. On Sunday, the Ducks were unanimously chosen as the No. 1 team in the AP top 25 poll.

Colorado: Despite not playing on Saturday, Deion Sanders and the Buffs now have a path to the college football playoff. Thanks to Iowa State and Kansas State both losing on Saturday, this now opens up a race for the Big 12 title game. After being written off after the Nebraska loss, Colorado needs to win out and have Iowa State drop one more game, and they will play for a Big 12 title. Crazy how college football works.

South Carolina: How about those Gamecocks? The biggest upset of the day goes to South Carolina knocking off Texas A&M just one week after the Aggies shined against LSU. Shane Beamer once again pulls off some November magic, and the SEC is now wide open with every team in the conference having at least one loss. A massive weekend for South Carolina.

Vanderbilt: Once again, Diego Pavia put a beating on a team from the state of Alabama. Vanderbilt is now bowl eligible, picking up their sixth win, this time against Auburn. This is the second time in a year that Diego Pavia has beaten Auburn, with last year coming against New Mexico State. A very big day for the Commodores!

Ryan Day: That might have been Ryan Day’s biggest win since joining the Buckeyes. His Buckeyes have lost three straight years to Michigan, but this year’s Wolverines are far from years past, and this was the victory Day needed. Maybe Michigan fans will laugh at OSU that won’t have to get through a stout Wolverines team to make some noise, but if you’re the Buckeyes, who cares?

Cam Ward: Miami quarterback Cam Ward delivered in a big way in the Hurricanes’ 53-31 win over Duke. The Hurricanes ended the game on a 36-3 second-half run to win, led by Ward’s 400 yards passing with four touchdowns. Miami improves to 9-0 on the season, and with the way Ward is playing, he is likely to hear his name called early in the NFL Draft.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Iowa: Running back Kaleb Johnson is a serious All-America contender and a few more huge games away from sneaking into the Heisman conversation. Any NFL team that is interested in a potential star running back in the upcoming draft is surely paying close attention.

Jaxson Dart: Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart had a record-breaking performance in the Rebel’s blowout victory over Arkansas on Saturday. He threw four touchdown passes in the first half to give Ole Miss a 35-10 lead at halftime and finished up the game with 515 passing yards and six touchdowns to set the program’s single-game records for yards passing and passing touchdowns.

Indiana: The Hoosiers football team was able to overcome an early 10-0 deficit to ultimately defeat Michigan State in convincing fashion. Eight-ranked Indiana celebrated a 47-10 victory on Saturday and improved to 9-0 on the season. This is the first time in program history that the Hoosiers have recorded wins in all nine of the first games they played. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was efficient in his return from injury, finishing the day with 263 passing yards and four touchdowns. Indiana continues to exceed preseason expectations.

Losers

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisville, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Clemson: Talk about a hot mess. Clemson went into their game against Louisville with a clear path to the ACC title game, and that has now disappeared. An embarrassing performance on Saturday night, along with SMU thrashing Pittsburgh, puts the Tigers in deep trouble for the ACC title game, and I’m not even discussing the College Football Playoff. A horrible day for Dabo Swinney.

Georgia: Yes, the Bulldogs defeated Florida, but they also look like a hot mess on offense right now, especially quarterback Carson Beck, who finished the day with three interceptions. The Dawgs were holding on for dear life in the fourth quarter against the Gators’ third-string QB. I don’t know what Kirby Smart has to do with this offense right now, but he better figure it out quick with a trip to Ole Miss coming up this week. It was an awkward day for those Bulldogs, and Lane Kiffin is waiting to pounce.

James Franklin: Sure, this loss isn’t going to hurt Penn State’s chances of getting into the playoff – they have their cupcake schedule to thank for that one – but who could possibly have any sort of hope they would do anything in it? With Saturday’s loss, Franklin fell to 1-7 against top-10 teams at home, 6-10 against ranked teams at home, 1-9 against top-5 teams and 1-10 against Ohio State since he was hired at Penn State. What’s the definition of insanity?

Iowa State: The Cyclones entered their matchup with Texas Tech with a perfect 7-0 record and a top-10 ranking. Iowa State narrowly escape last week’s game against Central Florida to secure their seventh win of the season, but they were still considered the favorites this past Saturday against the Red Raiders. The 23-22 loss to Texas Tech was two-fold. It represented Iowa State’s first defeat of 2024, but it also tightened the race for a spot in December’s Big 12 championship game. BYU and the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes have both dropped just one game in conference play and are legit contenders for the Big 12 title.

Penn State head coach James Franklin reacts during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Texas A&M: A single blowout loss seems to have all but shattered the Aggies’ SEC title hopes. They have a chance to continue their mission as one of the best stories of the season and contend for an expanded playoff spot. But if their recent loss is indicative of who they really are, fuggetaboutit.

Florida State: The 1-8 Seminoles are on a five-game slide after their latest loss to North Carolina over the weekend where they scored a season-low 11 points. Head coach Mike Norvell called the loss “disappointing” after Florida State’s offense managed just 201 offensive yards. UNC running back Omarion Hampton cruised past the Seminoles’ defense with four touchdown runs and a 49-yard touchdown reception in the 35-11 victory.

The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.

TORONTO —  The play was set in motion more than an hour before tip off Friday night in Canada, Lakers guards D’Angelo Russell and Max Christie strategizing on one side of the team’s locker room as they got ready for the Raptors.

Through the first two weeks of the season, Christie had struggled.

“I’m just playing robotically,” he told people.

In his third season, now with a real role as the first player consistently off the bench, a lot of the momentum he had built over the summer and preseason was slipping away under a pile of missed shots and defensive uncertainty.

Russell saw a window to do a little something about it.

The two players talked about how when Christie checked in later that night, Russell would try to break down a defender off the dribble, allowing for Christie to quickly cut backdoor for a layup.

It was prophetic.

On the first possession after Christie checked in midway through the first quarter, Russell dribbled with his left toward Christie in the corner. And just like they spoke about, Christie cut hard toward the rim. Russell fired a pinpoint bounce pass that found his teammate, who exploded toward the rim for the tough layup and a foul.

“Crazy, right?” Russell said with a huge smile after the game.

Christie finished the game with seven points, his best offensive output of the young season. He finished a plus-7, the first time the Lakers outscored their opponents during Christie’s minutes.

“I just find ways to make the game easier for our younger guys, try to simplify it, help them think less, help them be in a position where they can be the best in,” Russel said. “For me, I know Max is a confidence guy, so trying to instill confidence in him and keep him there no matter how the storm goes and adversity. Just keep that confidence high, you’ll be all right.”

For the Lakers, moments like this are crucial as the team tries to build trust with one another under a new coaching staff and system.

It’s specifically encouraging for Russell, whom JJ Redick pushed this summer to be a consistent vocal leader bought into winning above all else.

“It’s one of the challenges that I gave him the first day he came to the gym, and he was using his voice. He was energetic and we talked about it afterwards. And I said, that’s what I want, that’s gotta be your standard,” Redick said. “That’s gotta be who you are every day, regardless if shots are going in or not, or if you get subbed out at the end of a game. And look, he played really well tonight. He’s going to have a lot of good games where he plays well. His spirit has not diminished at all with any sort of whatever you want to call it, shooting struggles, to start the season. He’s been fantastic.

“And I think for all our guys, it’s a great example. … It’s something that we’ve talked about with a number of our older players. It’s you gotta be a leader with these young guys and help pick them up. Give, give them some confidence and it’s great to hear DLo did that.”

League reopens Jaxson Hayes investigation

Following video released early Saturday morning on TMZ‘s website, the NBA is reopening an investigation into a 2021 incident in which Jaxson Hayes was arrested and charged with 12 misdemeanors including domestic battery and resisting arrest.

Hayes later plead no contest to two of the charges — false imprisonment and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to community service and probation. The NBA did not penalize him.

Security camera footage obtained by TMZ showed Hayes, then a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, and then-girlfriend Sofia Jamora in an argument. In the footage, Hayes shoves Jamora and spits at her.

“As a result of the media report and video posted [Saturday] morning, we are reopening our investigation,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said.

Speaking to reporters Sunday in Toronto, Redick said the team is aware of and cooperating with the league’s investigation but will not comment.

After the team signed Hayes in 2023, general manager Rob Pelinka said the Lakers took the charges “very seriously” and “do a full vetting process.”

“Jaxson has been very sincere [with] his apologies around handling that and has moved beyond it to where he’s had a year or two in the NBA playing after it,” Pelinka said. “It was something that we felt like he owned, took responsibility for it, and is going to be a better person on the other side of it.”

The Lakers play Monday in Detroit.