Kevin Durant is a lot of things. For many of his detractors, being a leader is not one of them. The Phoenix Suns star is generally not considered to be a good leader of a championship team. We've all heard of the “bus rider, not bus driver” analogy often thrown at KD. He's a great player, no doubt, but he's not a leader according to some fans.

Well, it seems like Durant is taking offense to this criticism of him. In an interview, the Suns star commented on why he thinks fans don't perceive him to be a good leader. Durant also notes that he doesn't feel like he doesn't need to be a leader, but he also doesn't want people to say he's NOT a leader. (video via ClutchPoints)

“I'm not as charismatic as my peers. I don't have a personality that's like fit for TV. A lot of those stories of what we talk about don't get spoken in the media. You got to sell what you've been doing as well and I haven't sold enough. I don't feel like I need to. I don't feel like I want people to call me a leader, but I also don't want other people to say I'm not either.”

The perception around Durant's leadership (or lack thereof) is due to his history with his previous teams. KD's tendency to request a trade from his team while under contract has soured fans on him. To them, it feels like the Suns star is unwilling to ride through the tough times with his team; a clear sign of lack of leadership in their eyes. You can't really fault fans for feeling this way after Durant continually tried to force his way out of his teams.

The Suns are sitting in a pretty comfortable position in the West right now. Fifth place is certainly worse than they want, but it's still a pretty good position to be in. With the second half of the season coming up, Durant and co. are looking to make that push towards the top seed in the West. Will they succeed in realizing the potential of this supposed superteam?