Discussion around Stephen A. Smith’s recent comments about Kevin Durant’s leadership has continued after the Phoenix Suns’ Game 6 win. Among the Suns players speaking on Durant’s role is teammate <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/josh-okogie">Josh Okogie</a>, who shared insights into Durant’s influence on the court and within the team.



With a 5-1 start to the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba">NBA</a> regular season, Durant’s standout performances have made a noticeable impact on the Suns. According to Okogie, Durant’s presence provides a different feel on the floor as he embraces the leadership role.



“Kevin is Kevin, you know?” Okogie said, addressing <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/stephen-a-smith">Smith</a>’s comments. “People say his leadership isn’t this or that, but leadership is leadership—you can’t force it. We can’t say it’s not real leadership if it doesn’t fit a certain mold.”



Okogie continued, “Everyone has their own way of motivating others. Some are the vocal types, but that’s not us. We’re all about results—it’s either you do it, or you don’t.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20241104_BUS_265578_Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-1024x576_d4d2096c.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="Kevin Durant addressing plays on the field" class="wp-image-264900" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-300x169.jpg 300w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-768x432.jpg 768w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-740x416.jpg 740w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-490x275.jpg 490w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6-250x140.jpg 250w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/Kevin-Durant-Phoenix-Suns-6.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns reacts during a 125-119 Suns win over the the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome on October 31, 2024 in Inglewood, California.</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Okogie on Durant’s role with the team</h2>



Beyond Durant’s leadership style, Okogie highlighted <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kevin-durant">Durant</a>’s supportive approach with his teammates: “Kevin is a good guy who makes sure everybody’s held accountable. He won’t yell at you, just sometimes when there are missed things, but for the most part he just makes sure what’s expected from you and make sure you go out there in your job.”


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Okogie added: “He does a good job, going up in doing his job, it makes you see the work ethic that he puts in and makes you force you to do your job. People just like to use him as an easy target. He does a good job not listening too long sometimes in Twitter.“



<h2>An example of Durant’s leadership</h2>



Okogie also provided an example of Durant’s leadership on the floor: “We’re turning the ball over, he’ll say in timeouts, ‘We got to stop turning the ball over.’ If I have 5 turnovers, ‘JO, get your head in the game. Stop turning the ***’ ball over’ but he ain’t gonna ‘RAH RAH RAH RAH!’”



With 16 years in the NBA, Durant’s impact goes beyond his stats and accolades. From his early days with the Thunder to his current role with the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/phoenix-suns">Suns</a>, Durant’s reputation as a player and leader has only grown stronger.

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NBA News: Josh Okogie sends clear message to Stephen A. Smith about Durant's leadership in the Suns - Bolavip US

miniaturas

The <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/phoenix-suns">Phoenix Suns</a> were one of the favorite teams that reached the 2023 Playoffs last season. They had one of the best rosters that ultimately gave the franchise a strong record at 45-37 overall and the second spot within the Western Pacific Division.



However, they were eliminated early in the postseason in what was a painful loss against the current NBA Champions <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/denver-nuggets">Denver Nuggets</a> by 2-4. Despite the fact that the playoffs were a disappointment, it is likely that they will return stronger than before for the upcoming 2023-2024 season.


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The only weak point the Phoenix Suns will have in the upcoming season will be the absence of a veteran like <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/chris-paul">Chris Paul</a>, but they still have Kevin Durant to lead the franchise for at least another season.



<h2>Who is the player that the Suns re-signed?</h2>



The player who recently signed a new contract with the Phoenix Suns was Josh Okogie. The team posted an image on Twitter where he is signing what would be his new contract with the franchise for $2,346,614 (spotrac estimate). He will earn $378,439 more than last season.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="468" height="529" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20230712_BUS_27390_tweet-suns-officially-official.webp&amp;width=468&amp;height=529" alt="" class="wp-image-27399" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/tweet-suns-officially-official.jpg 468w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/tweet-suns-officially-official-265x300.jpg 265w" sizes="(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px"></figure></div></figure></div>



He has been playing with the Phoenix Suns since the 2022-2023 season where he played in 72 games and started just 26 for an average of 7.3 points per game, 33.5% threes and 0.5 blocks per game. <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kevin-durant">Kevin Durant</a> could benefit from a player like him since Okogie is one of the best bench backups to keep the score up.

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Josh Okogie