Why the Juneau class fits better among destroyer leaders

What is your assessment of the Juneau-class light cruisers?

They were improved Atlantas, but they make more sense as destroyer leaders than as conventional light cruisers.

The three Juneaus were improved Atlantas and retained the earlier design's unusual relationship to destroyer work. Their interpretation here follows intended employment rather than the official light-cruiser label alone. Treating them as destroyer leaders places them alongside the forces they were intended to lead and support. This is a functional comparison, not a claim that the navy officially classified the ships as destroyers.