The introduction captured the moment. If Kevin Durant didn’t understand what his arrival has meant to the Phoenix Suns, he got the message shortly after walking onto the court Thursday and looking up at 3,000 fans at Footprint Center, many chanting his name.

Durant smiled slightly. He touched his chest with his right hand, pounding twice. He nodded. The crowd got louder. “K-D! K-D! K-D!” Durant leaned back in his chair. He looked around uncomfortably. He smiled again, bigger this time.

This is what happens when a player of Durant’s stature — a 13-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ, two-time Finals MVP — arrives in a city that has never won an NBA championship. Folks start thinking of possibilities. And parades.

That’s an intoxicating vision, but basketball is a strange game. Chemistry has been a Phoenix strength for much of the past two seasons, but suddenly the parts have changed. Locker room faves Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are gone, off to Brooklyn, and here is Durant, larger than life, not just here to fit in, but here to play a dominant role.

As big man Deandre Ayton recently said, “Ain’t that something.”