Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. We have just one week to go before we hit the holidays so if you’re doing some last-minute shopping and you’re looking for ideas, we’ve got you! This week is a light showing (it’s going to be like that until 2022), but it’s full of straight-up bangers like Salehe Bembury’s internet-breaking Pollex Clog collaboration with Crocs, a couple of highly anticipated Yeezy drops, and, as with every week, fire Jordans.

Once you dive into this week’s best, be sure to hit up our sneakerhead gift guide for even more kicks worth gifting, as well as streetwear gifts for him, her, and the most stylish people in your life!

Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog

No, we’re not including Crocs on the roundup just because it’s a slow week. If you spent any time on the internet this week you’ll know that everyone in the sneakerhead world is obsessed with these Salehe Bembury designed clogs. In what is perhaps the biggest release Crocs has ever launched, this alien-esque sneaker sold out within minutes of hitting the market.

The clogs have since migrated to the aftermarket where the shoes are fetching prices up to 600 percent above retail. That’s either insane or a crazy investment opportunity if you have a lot of money to burn and really, really love Crocs.

The Salehe Bembury x Crocs Pollex Clog is out now in both Cucumber and Menemsha. Hit aftermarket sites like StockX for the best price.

Nike WMNS Air Force 1 High Sculpt

This week Nike is giving the legendary AF-1 the high-top treatment. This Air Force 1 features a sculpted collar with a pebbled leather upper accented with suede pieces and an outsole matching indented swoosh. The sneakers are dropping in two colorways, Gym Red and Silver, both exclusive to women’s sizing.

The Nike WMNS Air Force 1 High Sculpt Gym Red and Silver are out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Adidas Yeezy BSKTBL Knit Slate Blue

Kanye West b-ball sneakers haven’t really taken off on the courts, but they’re still incredibly interesting to look at. I mean just look at the BSKTBL knit, it looks like if you went back in time to the caveman days, picked up the most fly ancient human you could find, and brought them to 2021 to design a shoe with modern materials. Who else in footwear is making such a thing? Only Kanye.

The BSKTBL Knit features a prime knit upper with a milky translucent midsole and a high-rise collar. It’s kind of dope, kind of weird, super Kanye. Yeezy Brand suggests ordering a 1/2 size up for this sneaker.

The Adidas Yeezy BSKTBL Knit is set to drop on December 16th for a retail price of $300. Pick up a pair via Yeezy Supply or the Adidas Confirmed app.

Air Jordan 1 Element GORE-TEX Sail

Just because it’s winter and you need to change up your footwear game to keep those feet warm, that doesn’t mean you don’t still want to look fly. Enter the GORE-TEX-equipped Air Jordan 1 Element. This sneaker is waterproof and reinforced to stand up to the elements while retaining that iconic Jordan shape.

The sneaker is fully equipped with a nubuck leather upper with a GORE-TEX inner bootie and toe box and a plush-lined collar to keep your feet warm and dry. It’s an end-of-the-year classic and would make a great gift for the holidays. Hint hint.

The Air Jordan 1 Element GORE-TEX Sail is set to drop on December 16th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Jordan 1 Craft

It’s the end of the year so we expected Nike to be resting on their laurels but the brand is still busy churning out future classics while the rest of the sneaker brands slip into hibernation.

This week’s notable release is the Air Jordan 1 Craft, a design that sees the brand zero in on each panel of this classic sneaker, dressing it in layers of soft leather, nubuck, and canvas. The color block design helps to accentuate each panel, combining a sail base and toe box, with brown overlays, forest green lace-paneling, and a maroon heel piece with a classic black wraparound swoosh and dual-color laces.

The Jordan 1 Craft is set to drop on December 18th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or at aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Beluga RF

The Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Beluga is probably the most popular colorway of the 350 ever, and if you’ve always had dreams of owning a pair — or know someone who has — this is the week you’ll finally be able to cop them. Adidas has reportedly produced a whole bunch of these this year in anticipation of the holiday season and added cool reflective features throughout the design.

Keep this in mind though, everyone is going to want a pair of these, which means you might not, especially when you find out that Yeezy Brand is also selling kids sizes of the shoe and infant sizes. Be warned, you might score the Yeezys of your dreams this week only to find your baby cousin rocking the same pair.

The Adidas Yeezy BOOST 350 V2 Beluga RF is set to drop on December 18th for a retail price of $240. Pick up a pair via the Adidas confirmed app, Yeezy supply, or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

NFTs are here to stay. Back in March, when we ran an explainer on all things non-fungible token-related, we wondered if NFTs would stand as an exciting new way of sharing, collecting, and, for creators, monetizing ideas or just fizzle out like a b-rate bitcoin. But we feel pretty comfortable now saying that NFTs aren’t going anywhere. They’re a part of our culture, especially when we’re getting so many exciting collaborations and cosigns out of it, like this new set of virtual animated sneakers created by the legendary sneakerhead, DJ, and radio personality Bobbito Garcia and producer Omar Acosta.

“My collabs with Nike, Adidas, and Puma have all sold out at retail but creating 3D animated digital sneakers as NFTs is taking it to the next level,” says Garcia of the ARO1 Boriken Sneakers, which resemble a greatest hits collection of the best b-ball kicks fused into a single dope design. “There are no creative limitations from brand execs! Plus, I’m designing with my dear friend Omar Acosta.”

Piggybacking on the duo’s collaboration on the award-winning film Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, today the pair are debuting five virtual sneakers as NFTs in anticipation and celebration of the 126th anniversary of Puerto Rico’s flag (December 22nd) on the online marketplace OpenSea. Four of the five sneakers will feature digital art, photos, and designs by Garcia and Acosta with a special fifth drop featuring artwork from La Borinqueńa, a comic book created by the award-winning creator Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez.

“The ARO1 model is where sneakers, art, design, technology, cultural pride, and independent ownership plus distribution all collide,” Garcia says. “The opportunities for artists/designers along with footwear enthusiasts is wide open. I’m amped!”

By assembling an all-star team, NFTs are getting an official co-sign from one of sneakerdom’s chief architects. A portion of the net profits of the NFTs will be given to Afro-Boricua grassroots programs based in Puerto Rico via the La Borinqueña grants program.

Hit OpenSea to get a full look at the ARO1 in all of its glory.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from NLE Choppa, Roddy Ricch, and more.

Friday saw the releases of Bobby Shmurda (“Shmoney” featuring Quavo and Rowdy Rebel), 6lack, (“By Any Means“), Rvssian (“M&M” with Future and Lil Baby), Jucee Froot (“Christmas List“), and NLE Choppa (“Drop Sh*t“) along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending December 17, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Alchemist & Boldy James — Super Tecmo Bo

Both halves of this producer-rapper duo have been ridiculously prolific this year so their surprise project capping 2021 actually comes as very little surprise after all. The grumbly voiced Detroit MC and the nimble-fingered LA beatmaker have a well-practiced chemistry thanks to their prior projects (My 1st Chemistry Set, The Price Of Tea In China, and this year’s Bo Jackson) so you already know what to expect going into this nostalgically-named joint effort.

Chief Keef — 4NEM

The Chicago drill pioneer’s career trajectory has been one of rap’s most intriguing. For a time, it looked like he might not ever return to the heights in which he once dwelled as a rowdy, trouble magnet teen. But here he is, dropping his fourth studio album (four years after its predecessor, Dedication), still keying into that something that makes both longtime fans and detractors alike acknowledge his charisma, consistency, and resilience.

Gucci Mane & 1017 — So Icy Christmas

A little-known fact about your favorite hip-hop editor: I really, really love Christmas music — especially if it’s in the form of rap music. There’s just something equal parts hilarious and comforting about rappers, who usually spit some of the most profane subject matter around, meting out season’s greetings and other saccharine, candy cane tropes just because it’s a little cold outside. Unfortunately for me, the only real Christmas songs here are those from the East Atlanta Santa himself, but on the flip side, his 1017 cohorts carry their weight, resulting in a really solid project.

Roddy Ricch — Live Life Fast

The Compton native’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2019 Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial is long on growth and introspective observations about his journey. That may be upsetting some younger fans hoping for more raucous, reckless anthems in the vein of his debut, but it reflects something that hip-hop often discounts until further reevaluation later down the line: the addition of new dimensions to a promising young talent’s output, which usually leads to greater longevity in the long run.

Singles/Videos

Chris Webby — “We Up”

I suppose that there are worse places DMX’s final guest appearance could have ended up. Webby’s a veteran of the rap game, independently releasing relatively solid mixtapes for over a decade and always displaying reverence for the art form — which is something we know that the Dark Man always valued, at least.

Dro Kenji — “Finders Keeper” Feat. Scorey & Internet Money

Based on the same rollicking algorithmic sing-rap formula currently being perfected by production duo Internet Money, the South Carolina SoundCloud offspring further develops his knack for hooky melodies and inviting content.

EST Gee — “Jumpout Gang”

Accompanying the release of the deluxe edition of the Louisville native’s Bigger Than Life Or Death tape, “Jumpout Gang” furthers his mission to put the Midwestern city on the trap rap map with this pulsating banger.

KenTheMan — “Rose Gold Stripper Pole” Feat. 2 Chainz

Right now, KenTheMan currently resides in that nebulous space between notoriety and novelty, but her standout performance at Rolling Loud California and this remix in which she holds her own alongside one of rap’s cleverest comic commentators will convince practically any doubter that she won’t be there for long.

Pap Chanel — “Whoa Dere”

With a beat straight off an old-school drum machine, the Atlanta rapper continues to work her way into the growing windfall of female rappers breaking into the game.

Preme — “Make A Mall” Feat. PartyNextDoor

I don’t if Preme’s strategy of collaborating with seemingly every cool artist from 2015 will pay off in his mission to crossover stateside, but it sure is producing some great tunes.

Sally Sossa — “Moncler Coat”

There’s something in the water in Houston. In the wake of Meg Thee Stallion’s success, new spitters crop up in her hometown by seemingly the day and they can all spit. I’m not sure whether there is a hierarchy (there shouldn’t be, please stop ranking things, rap fans) or how it’ll all shake out in the end, but Sosa’s got a legit claim for somewhere near the peak.

Saucy Santana — “Shisha” Feat. City Girls

Saucy Santana? Yung Miami? JT? Giiiirl… Turn that up. This will undoubtedly be a staple in your local strip club by this time next year — provided you live within like, 300 miles of Black people — so budget for its inevitable dominance appropriately.

Tierra Whack — “Heaven”

We highlighted Whack’s new EP, R&B and its pleading single earlier this week — but come on. It deserves more than one mention. Whack is earning her reputation as an unparalleled and unique talent in hip-hop, but here, she’s as relatable as she’s ever been, earnestly expressing regrets and yearning for lost loved ones — something that is all too familiar after the past two years.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

I know, y’all. This week has been rough. We’ve got the omicron thing coming around the corner, schools telling parents that today is apparently School Shooting Day on TikTok (but don’t panic, even though we don’t really know how to gauge if there’s any real risk) and this on top of normal holiday season stress. It’s … well, it’s a lot.

All the more reason we need to look for small joys and reasons to smile today. It’s easy to get bogged down in cynicism and negativity, but such things don’t serve anyone, and if we’re going to make it through these unprecedented times (oh, how I miss precedented times!) we need to maintain some hopeful energy.

While these 10 things won’t solve the world’s problems, they can help you smile, laugh and delight your way through the weekend.

Here goes:

Doggo loses it when it recognizes its human at the airport.

Welcome home daddy.. pic.twitter.com/8L5YBNRzrC

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1639675024

You can just see the instant of recognition, right? And then that tail wag. And that sweet squeaking. Puppy love at its best.

UPS driver goes the extra mile to congratulate a new mom on his route.

Dallen Harrell noticed he was delivering a lot of baby items to a particular house and decided to leave a message on Jessica Kitchel’s doorbell camera. He said he was a new dad himself and wished the family luck with their newborn.

“I just hope everything is going good,” he tells the camera. “God bless, Happy Holidays.”

Kitchel was so touched she shared his message on her Instagram, which resulted in a flood of goodwill and all-around awesomeness. Kitchel’s friends and family are buying out Harrell’s baby registry and a diaper company is supplying both families with diapers for six months—proof that a little human connection and kindness can go a long way. Read the full story here.

Guinea pigs racing down a ramp. Why is this so delightful? 

All Aboard the Guinea pig Express. pic.twitter.com/T4wB0NixYW

— Fred Schultz (@Fred Schultz)
1639675771

I honestly don’t know why this video made me grin from ear to ear, but it did. It’s like perfectly coordinated chaos. Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Are they on their way to a guinea pig party? Who knows, but so fun.

This Lord of the Rings rap battle with the original cast is unexpected and hilarious.

A rap battle about why The Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy of them all on Stephen Colbert? Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Method Man, Killer Mike and Anna Kendrick all together in one video? Yes, please.

The epic saga of workplace cats, Jean and Jorts, and their overly concerned coworker, Pam. 

Once upon a time there were two cats, Jean and Jorts, who lived in a workplace with a bunch of humans. Jean was smart and Jorts was kind of a dolt, and the drama created around this fact resulted in the most hilarious coworker shenanigans ever told on Reddit. Jorts locks Jean in closets and Pam smears margarine on Jorts, and seriously, you just have to read this one in full. Trust me. Find it here.

This dog really, really, really wanted this very specific stick.

A stick is a stick.. pic.twitter.com/Gp5LewBvAi

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1639762968

Poor snowman vs. perseverant doggy. Not sure who to root for here, but this is hilarious.

The ‘Ted Lasso and The Missing Christmas Mustache’ short is pure ‘Ted Lasso’ delight.

Some of us are missing Ted Lasso’s wholesome wisdom, and this Christmas claymation short voiced by the original cast is helping fill that void.

Kind man packed up his grill and a truckload of food to feed tornado-leveled Mayfield, Kentucky.

This man drove half an hour with a grill and a truckload of food and parked right in the middle of #Mayfield, Kentucky.pic.twitter.com/xrVbrMdJ9S

— Victor Ordou00f1ez (@Victor Ordou00f1ez)
1639343706

After a tornado destroyed the town of Mayfield, Kentucky last weekend, Jim Finch decided to do what he could do: “feed the people.” Humans helping humans. Love to see it. Read the story here.

Throwback to this hilarious hugging a stranger at the gas station Christmas spirit video.

Mary Katherine Backstrom loves humanity and loves Christmas, and her story about sharing that spirit with random people at the Wawa was a delightful viral sensation. Watch and you’ll see why. Her laughter is contagious and the story is hilarious.

When one cockatoo is rocking out and the other thinks it’s totally extra.

Timeline cleanserpic.twitter.com/L7dO1VxVhY

— riz la (@riz la)
1639599445

You simply have to watch this video in its entirety. It’s like you can hear exactly what each bird is thinking. Totally different personalities. I laughed out loud like five times.

I hope that made you laugh a little or a lot and brought some much-needed delight to your day. Hang in there and share the joy, friends!

As Christmas fast approaches (literally eight days away, holy cow) I relish the opportunity to do all those wholesome holiday things.

I love filling my cats’ stockings with tuna treats and springy toys. I’m thrilled to top our tree with a sparkling glowy star and sneak away to wrap my boyfriend’s present. And boy, do I look forward to his authentic Puerto Rican coquito.

The apartment smells of cinnamon and gingerbread, and it fills me with a comfort that’s both so welcomed and yet so foreign.

It hadn’t really dawned on me before, that perhaps why I now wholeheartedly embrace the tradition of Christmas, though I am in no way religious, is because it’s a way to cultivate what I never really had in childhood: a sense of peace.

In other words: Christmas provides a sense of normality. And for someone with a less-than-normal childhood, that feeling matters. A lot.

I hadn’t always given Christmas the same thought. When I was little, all I knew was Christmas meant getting one of those cheap kiddy art sets from Angel Tree.

If you don’t know what that is, Angel Tree is an organization that provides gifts to children of parents who are incarcerated. It comes with a note from the parent, written in prison. That way there’s at least some semblance of connection during the holiday.

My mother knew I liked art, and therefore always asked for it.

See on Instagram

Unwrapping the gift was … fine. Reading the letter from my mom, on the other hand, was outright numbing. It just didn’t compare to the real thing. To talking. To seeing her react to my surprise. To hugging.

“Little me” didn’t realize that all I wanted for Christmas was the one thing I couldn’t have, and to ease the pain of longing, I would feel nothing instead. All I understood was art set + mom’s letter = Christmas.

This is by no means a complaint against Angel Tree; I think what they do is an amazing contribution. I certainly used the hell out of those watercolor paints and oil pastels, and it most definitely made a positive impact on my life.

And my mom did her best. This is not a judgment of her character nor a degradation of her parenting. It just is me saying: I didn’t feel what I think I was supposed to feel, as a little kid at Christmas time.

Having this holiday apathy, I spent my teens being “too cool” for Christmas, and looked down on it as some kind of capitalist conspiracy. Then as an adult working at amusement parks, Christmas simply became “holiday pay day.” Yes, I suppose you could say I leaned into that same capitalism I fought so hard against during my formative years. What a sellout.

I spent the holiday wearing a prosthetic “Who nose,” stilt walking, entertaining the crowds. And when that fat check came in, I would always wonder if the 12+ hours were worth it.

It wasn’t.

(Again, no ill intentions toward my former place of employment. Plenty of my coworkers loved spending Christmas this way. I just did it for the wrong reasons.)

Knowing what I do now, it makes perfect sense that I allowed the holidays to fuel my raging workaholism. It was a way to avoid difficult feelings. And many experts note that it is a symptom of parentification, when a child has to take on the adult role, thereby suppressing their own needs.

Miriam Njoku, a certified Trauma Recovery Coach, sums it up best:

“When a child suffers from prolonged trauma, they live in a perpetual state of stress with no control over their life, work can become something they have control over or a means to escape their reality. They might come to believe that if they work hard enough it will bring peace in their home.”

Yep, that was me. As someone who grew up mostly without a mother, mostly without a father, in poverty, bouncing between relatives’ houses and changing schools multiple times, I sought out sovereignty in the only way I knew how. Through making money.

But after a while, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Having my own Great Resignation, I slowly started to embrace Christmas as a way to wean off my workaholic tendencies. If most of the world was going to take a day off, then why shouldn’t I?

Did I decorate? No. But did I splurge on a Starbucks White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha and do some serious Netflix binging? Yes I did.

See on Instagram

As I coated my mouth with the sweet, creamy treat and bundled up in a blanket, new sensations washed over me. It was like my spirit finally exhaled. It was so rare for me to not feel hypervigilant, goal oriented, anxious. But in that moment I was inexplicably, undeniably … safe.

And that was when my attitude started to shift.

I think for most people that come from a troubled home, there comes a point where you realize that in order to heal, you can’t simply work for a better tomorrow. The better tomorrow is already here. Instead, the priority should be giving yourself what you never had, today.

Kelly McDaniel, author of Mother Hunger, stresses that mothers provide daughters with three important developmental needs: nurturing, protection and guidance. And if any of the three is missing, an achy loneliness permeates the self-image. That loneliness is what she calls “Mother Hunger.”

This book was a real eye-opener for me. Look, I knew that my childhood was not that great. But I had no idea just how much my inner compass was warped. No wonder I didn’t know how to have those warm fuzzy holiday feelings. I didn’t know how to have warm fuzzy feelings, period.

Login • Instagram

See on Instagram

McDaniel shares in her book that healing “Mother Hunger” involves “thawing the frozen, innate healing process.” In my case, that meant a warm blanket and learning how to simply be comfortable doing nothing.

Though I am focusing on the mother-daughter relationship, a similar principle can be said for father-daughter, mother-son, father-son. Bottom line, when we don’t get an example of safety as children, it affects our lives until we choose to teach it to ourselves. That’s my take, anyway.

Now when I think of Christmas, I think of warmth. I think of rest. I think of gratitude. I also think about how nice it would have been to feel this way as a kid, and it can trigger a bit of sadness. And yet, with every holiday tradition, both big and small, I find comfort knowing that it’s never too late to reclaim those lost parts.

To me, Christmas means celebrating a recovery from numbness. And sipping coquito with my boyfriend while watching my kitties play with their toys. And I feel joy in every minute of it.

Whether or not this story resonates with you, I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas. In these sometimes stressful, often less-than-normal times, may you find your own special way to exhale.

If you’re not a fan of vodka, there’s a chance you’ve never really thought about what it’s actually made of. In the simplest terms, vodka is a crystal-clear distilled spirit that’s more or less made up of water and ethanol. If that doesn’t sound appetizing, we totally get it. There’s a reason many drinkers believe that most vodka is flavorless and not particularly memorable.

While vodka can be made from different grains and fruits (like wheat, rye, corn, or even grapes), the potato has also become a common base for the spirit. Inevitably, centuries of vodka distillation have led to some gimmicky, over-the-top varieties like countless flavored vodkas and, most recently, Arby’s French Fry vodkas.

This Week, Frito-Lay dropped a vodka. You know, the makers of crispy, salty, iconic, wipe-your-greasy-hands-on-your-pants potato chips. While this might seem like just as much of a gimmick as the slew of flavored vodkas, it isn’t. The idea makes logical sense and even keeps with tradition.

Let’s get into what’s in the bottle.

Lay’s Potato Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40 (currently sold out)

The Vodka:

Lay’s partnered with Portland, Oregon’s Eastside Distilling to craft this limited-edition vodka produced with Lay’s proprietary potatoes — the same ones they use to make their own chips. To be clear, no, Lay’s and Eastside Distilling aren’t making vodka by emptying yellow bags of Lay’s chips into their fermenters. They’re simply using the company’s potatoes (and branding).

Tasting Notes:

The nose was a lot sweeter than I expected. It reminded me of corn-based moonshine even though the ingredients are only potatoes, yeast, and water. There were notes of vanilla, caramel, and slight fruitiness that made me excited to take a sip (it should be noted that I don’t often get excited to sip vodka). While fairly muted, there were notes of vanilla beans, slight citrus, and just a hint of cracked black pepper. The finish was surprisingly mellow, sweet, and featured just a hint of warmth to remind you that you are actually drinking vodka.

Bottom Line:

As someone who doesn’t normally sip vodka neat, I’d definitely drink this one on the rocks or mixed with a little soda water and a twist of lime. Overall, a pretty decent vodka even with its gimmicky name and description.

Ranking:

85/100 — While not even close to the best vodka I’ve tasted, I was pleasantly surprised by the strong flavor profile and a smooth finish with little to no harshness.

Every now and then, Herb Jones takes over a game. The stretches aren’t lengthy, nor are they anything more than infrequent glimmers. But they surely occur.

Scoring and creation explosions, plays typically associated with a takeover, are not his signature. His moments of magic are more subtle: an aptly time a cut to score inside, prying away a steal to spark the fast break, or slithering over a screen and coaxing a scorer into an imprudent decision. They’re all the sorts of events that help tie together possessions without headlining each result.

For any player, these moments would be noteworthy. But they draw even more praise when they’re being performed by a second-round rookie on a 9-21 team that’s missed its superstar forward all season. That’s exactly what Jones has brought to the New Orleans Pelicans: a bright spot amid an increasingly frustrating campaign.

As the team’s premier on-ball stopper, he’s entrusted by New Orleans’ coaching staff to wrangle with an assortment of lead initiators. His matchup data is a Mount Rushmore of stars such as Luka Doncic, Paul George, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, and Ja Morant. Already, he’s spent at least 20 possessions on seven different All-Stars. Lower the possessions threshold slightly and others like James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker enter the frame.

Jones is not yet performing at the level of an All-Defensive selection, although it must be stressed that has more to do with how high the bar is to earn that distinction. Yet he’s indicating a future where he could become a stalwart on those teams, which is incredibly promising. Gliding around screens, he stays attached to ball-handlers. He’s light on his feet, swivels his hips to change directions with ease, and wields hands dexterous enough for silent cookie jar thievery.

At 6’8 with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s astonishingly fluid for someone his size. That intersection of size and physical tools enables him to defend up and down the perimeter creator spectrum. Big wings, powerful guards, shifty creators — Jones looks at home against any of them.

Despite assuming such star-studded battles, Jones is averaging only four fouls per 36 minutes. While that may seem like a relatively high mark, a rookie who operates with such physicality and audacity against elite players generating that number is less concerning than it seems on the surface. As he further assimilates to NBA competition and begins to understand the nuances and tendencies of each player, everything he already excels at will heighten.

Jones isn’t merely guarding a bunch of stars and periodically putting together standout clips. New Orleans tasks him with those responsibilities because of merit, not solely pre-draft reputation or practice reps. His plus-1.8 Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus ranks 30th league-wide and second among all rookies. His 1.8 percent block rate and 2.2 percent steal rate are in the 99th and 94th percentiles among wings, according to Cleaning The Glass.

Those gaudy block and steal rates primarily stem from Jones’ exceptional awareness, motor, and gifts as an off-ball playmaker. Thanks to his size, lateral mobility, and swift hands, he functions supremely well at the nail, toggling between help on drives and recovering to shooters. As the weak-side low man, he acutely balances rotating at the proper moment without overcommitting to bleed open corner threes and is quick off the ground to influence plays inside.

Everything, really, stems from his marriage of length, height, and movement skills. Most 6’8 forwards with a 7-foot wingspan are nowhere near as comfortable on the perimeter as he is. The ones who are often find themselves as mainstays in conversations that look to determine the best defensive players in the league, and it seems destined that Jones will get there sooner rather than later.

Defensive-minded rotation guys who can’t meet whatever Mendoza Line is required offensively to warrant heavy minutes are scattered throughout NBA history. By crafting just enough offensive utility to this point, Jones is distinguishing himself from that group and earning starters minutes (27.1 per game, 30.5 since re-entering the starting lineup 11 games ago). With heady floor vision, he’s a viable connective passer capable of identifying scoring opportunities against defenses in disarray.

Although he’s a middling shooter at best right now — he’s made 10 of his 30 attempts from three in the NBA and shot the long ball at a 28.8 percent clip in college — he carves out other paths to scoring value. He’s a perceptive cutter, darting inside whenever he sees a crevice. If defenses take an inefficient route to close out or grant him space, he’s displayed some ability to succeed as a driver. Occasionally, New Orleans even lets him flow through dribble handoffs.

Many uninspiring shooters who don’t elicit defensive attention can struggle to balance letting it fly, attacking off the catch, and cutting to the rim. Jones manages that juggling act fairly well, particularly for a rookie still navigating all the complexities that life as a perimeter-oriented NBA player with a tumultuous jumper can bring.

Every year, 60 people are drafted into the NBA. Approximately 20 of them usually end up sticking around. Through a third of one season, Jones looks like a member of that 20-player grouping. His multifaceted defense is going to place him in All-Defensive discussions at some point. His offense, though much more in transit and tenuous, has a baseline to build upon with a discernible light at the end of the tunnel.

He’s the type of player every basketball fanatic gravitates toward as the glue guy on a winning team, and for good reason. The Pelicans aren’t that sort of squad just yet, but Jones is central to much of the winning they’ll accomplish this season, and he’ll be part of the foundation for what’s being established moving forward.

There was a feeling earlier in 2021 that we could be in for a slow year with regards to games being released, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The reality is that a lot of fantastic games came out every month, they just got overlooked. This is why we tried our best to come up with five games from the previous year that may have flown under the radar for one reason or another.

Whatever the reason, these games deserved a little more mainstream attention than they received.

Lost in Random

Lost in Random is a game where the player may as well be taking part in a fairy tale. The player controls Even as she goes on an adventure in a world very much inspired by Tim Burton to discover the fate of her older sister, Odd. In this world, the toss of a dice determine’s ones fate because random is fair, random prevails, and random rules. This also happens to apply in combat, where a roll of the dice and a deck of cards decides what weapons Even is able to use against enemies. This may sound like a deck building game, but it’s much more a third-person action game because the deck building is fairly basic. Where Lost in Random truly shines is the writing. It’s funny, witty, and will pull at your heartstrings every once in a while. It’s a game that deserved far more attention and recognition than it got. Unfortunately, it released in a fairly packed September and got lost amid everything else, but it’s very much worth your time.

Overboard!

Overboard! has a really unique premise: It’s a murder mystery game, but instead of trying to solve the mystery, the player is the one trying to get away with murder. They’ve just killed their husband on a cruise shop and now they have to use the little time they have left on the ship to map out a getaway strategy. Framing someone for murder means that they get to collect his life insurance check, which is the ultimate goal of the game. It’s a really great time, we enjoyed our time with it thoroughly, and want everyone to play it. A big reason it didn’t get more attention was it came out in June, which is the same month as E3.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

Ace Attorney is one of the best visual novel series of games out there. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to wait a little bit longer for them here in the U.S. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a good example of that. Set near the end of Japan’s Meiji period, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a fun spin off that explores the ancestors of series protagonist Phoenix Wright. Both games in this setting came out in Japan years ago and it felt like we were never going to get them in the United States, but that’s no longer the case. This meant a whole new opportunity to solve murders, read hilarious dialogue, and explore fun environments for us Ace Attorney fans. Since the game came out in July and wasn’t technically “new,” though, it got missed by a lot of potential new fans. Anyone that’s a fan of murder mysteries and has wanted to give Ace Attorney a try should give this a spin. It’s well worth the time.

Dorfromantik

One of the best stress relief games to come out this year was Dorfromantik. While the game is still in early access, we felt that there was enough of a game in it to not only review it, but love it. The game is very simple: play like tiles together to build a world. By gathering enough resources together, the player will earn more tiles and will be able to continue playing the game. The entire time, relaxing music plays and creates an atmosphere that melts any worries away. Unfortunately, not only is Dorfromantik not a genre that’s going to get much notoriety, it also came out as an early access title, so most of the buzz around it came from word of mouth. We want more people to have a chill and relaxing time, and that’s why we want more people playing Dorfromantik.

The Artful Escape

The Artful Escape is as much an experience as it is a video game. It is designed to push the player forward. Failure is easily rectified and there are no real game overs. It’s not meant to challenge the player, it’s meant to put them on a journey. Through that, the player is able to go at their own pace. Enjoy the visuals and think on the story. It’s an experience that we enjoyed ourselves, but it didn’t gain as much buzz as we expected when it was released. Perhaps it was overshadowed, or maybe it fell through the cracks, but we hope that as time goes on, more people experience this delightful game.

After previously releasing his mixtape, Bigger Than Life Or Death, back in July, today Louisville rapper Est Gee has shared the deluxe edition. On this extended version, he links up with artists like Yo Gotti, Future and Moneybagg Yo on additional collaborations. Never one to leave the video piece behind, he’s shared visuals for songs like “Price Tag,” “Riata Dada” and “Make It Even.”

Today he also shared a brand new video for another one the of mixtape’s tracks, “Jumpout Gang,” which you can check out above. The video features a cameo from Est Gee’s CMG labelmate 42 Dugg and was directed by Diesel Films.

The full extended tracklist for the now deluxe project is below.

Part 1:

“Riata Dada”
“Make It Even”
“5500 Degrees” (Ft. Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Rylo Rodriguez)
“Bigger Than Life Or Death”
“Sky Dweller”
“Lick Back Remix” (Feat. Future & Young Thug)
“In Town” (Feat. Lil Durk)
“Price Tag”
“Run N 2 Me” (ft. Yo Gotti)
“Capitol 1”
“All I Know” (Feat. Pooh Shiesty)
“Forreal”
“Real Reason”
“No Friends (Feat. Yo Gotti and 42 Dugg)
“Lick Back”

Part 2:

“Hit Maker”
“Lamborghini Geeski”
“Fan”
“Jumpout Gang”
“All My Life”
“Bloody Man”
“OD”
“Misery Loves Company”
“What It Is” (Feat. Yo Gotti)
“Balloons” (Feat. Moneybagg Yo)
“Dead Wrong” (Feat. Future)

Kyrie Irving is on his way back to the Brooklyn Nets. After missing the first 29 games of the season due to his decision to not get vaccinated and the team’s hesitancy to having him around as a part-time player, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Irving has begun ramping things up and will take to the floor for the Nets soon.

Further reporting from Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN indicates that the team blinked in this stand-off. Irving cannot play in home games due to New York City’s mandate requiring the COVID-19 vaccine, but despite their initial opposition to the idea, the Nets have changed their minds and are now ok with Irving practicing at the team’s facility and playing in away games.

Wojnarowski added that Irving is still not vaccinated, and after a collection of decision-makers at various levels of the franchise discussed the idea, the Nets are ready to welcome him back into the fold.

Like numerous other teams around the league, the Nets have been hit hard in recent days by injuries and players entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols. As of this writing, the following players are in the protocols: LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre’ Bembry, Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, James Harden, James Johnson, and Paul Millsap. Brooklyn is an Eastern Conference-best 21-8 on the season.