Kevin Durant debuts with Suns ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The irony was not lost on Kevin Durant as he went down a back corridor of the Spectrum Center, departing the facility after a triumphant debut as the Phoenix Suns' newest member.

When Durant was in his final season in Golden State and soon-to-be teammate Kyrie Irving was still in Boston, the two were in the back corridor on All-Star Sunday, and internet investigators discovered Irving delivered Durant his elevator pitch for the two to team up in Brooklyn the following season.

Durant grinned but said that the two buddies were laughing about something different. Even if it was, neither could have predicted everything that has happened since, their magnificent scheme going up in flames after seeming so good on the surface.Durant embarked on yet another optimistic trip, this one packed with championship expectations and the obvious spotlight to validate, as if he isn't a decorated champion and Finals MVP twice over.

Wherever he goes, the trail to June will most certainly follow, as he is entrusted with not only getting the Suns back to the Finals, but also avenging their six-game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Durant appeared to have an easy game against the Hornets on Wednesday night.

"I gazed up, as though wondering what I was going to do. I'm not sure who my teammates will be, so I'm a little concerned about that. And we were able to come to an agreement."

Durant was chastised for Irving's frequent involvement in controversy, given that the Nets took Irving on as a condition of signing Durant, putting him in a position of leadership. The Suns in Phoenix appear to be aware of the chatter and do not want Durant to end up in a similar situation.

"I think too many players in the NBA are put under too much pressure to lead," said Suns coach Monty Williams, who was an assistant in Oklahoma City during Durant's final season there in 2015-16. "I simply do not believe it is essential. It is my responsibility to lead. Players perform it in certain locations. Yet it was the only thing I said to him. I stated that I am not seeking for you to lead. We simply want you to be yourself, and I believe that's where he's most at ease. To be oneself.

"We've got Chris. Book takes the initiative in his own manner. Chris has always been a fantastic leader. What we want is for [Durant] to be himself. By the way he works, he may demonstrate leadership subtleties. It's been intriguing to hear the reactions from other players and individuals in the gym who have witnessed him go through his routine. I've never seen anything like that. And I believe it has had a significant influence."

Durant seldom appears to be concerned by the outer world during a game. Durant was able to get some rigorous practices in with his new teammates after a minicamp of sorts between getting traded before All-Star weekend and the days between Sunday's game and Wednesday.

"As for team leadership, I don't need to coach any team. Whatever happens, we do it together. [Monty is] the coach and the leader. The team is assembled by the general manager. I'm supposed to go hoop outside. That is my responsibility."

Durant was boarding the bus after visiting some fans at the loading dock, smiling and posing for selfies, and giggling when one of them commented, "You looked terrific out there," as if Durant expected to perform like anybody other than himself.

He was asked one more question, if he regretted the extension that seems to have locked him into this unnecessary problem rather than going back into free agency and picking a position of his own choosing.