Category: News

During a wide-ranging interview for Dana Bash’s new series, Being, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes opened up about what it’s like to be the constant target of Fox News, and the New York congresswoman had a tellingly academic response. AOC told Bash that she finds the coverage to be “really fascinating” because it speaks “to these very subconscious narratives about women or about people of color or about Latinos or Latinas or working class people.” According to AOC, even though the coverage is very clearly pointed at her, it reflects a “societal” problem instead of a “personal” one.

You can see AOC’s full thoughts on Fox News below:

Despite directly attacking the Fox News issue with a thoughtful response, AOC was a little more of a politician when it came to the question of whether or not she’s going to challenge Senator Chuck Schumer in a primary race. Via Mediaite:

The congresswoman acknowledged that she knows it “drives everybody nuts” that she has avoided talking about her plans, “but the way that I really feel about this, and the way that I really approach my politics and my political career, is that I do not look at things and I do not set my course positionally. And I know there’s a lot of people who do not believe that. But I really, I can’t operate the way that I operate and do the things that I do in politics while trying to be aspiring to other things or calculating to other things.”

AOC wrapped up her response by saying, “I’m not commenting on that,” but with a laugh because, to her credit, she’s very aware that sounds like a boilerplate non-denial.

(Via The Recount, Mediaite)

We can debate for hours what the best summer cocktail is. In general, it’s all about taste. If you don’t enjoy the juniper-centric flavor of gin, you probably won’t spend the warmer months craving gin and tonics. If you’re not into tequila and grapefruit, a paloma probably isn’t your jam. If the thought of drinking Campari conjures up images of the numbing agent used at your childhood dentist’s office, you should probably steer clear of the classic Negroni. But if you enjoy the sweet, malty taste of whisky and crave refreshment as well, the classic whisky highball should be your summer go-to (or your year-round go-to).

“The highball is a simple cocktail with generally two ingredients: whiskey, and soda water,” Jacob Mata, bar manager at Garden & Grain in Pensacola, Florida, tells us. He adds, “Choosing the right kind of whisky is very important when crafting this cocktail. You want to pick a whiskey that’s full of flavor but also delicate enough to be enjoyed in this style.”

While nobody is going to tell you not to use bourbon, rye, Irish, or Canadian whiskies as the base for your whisky highball, most bartenders agree that to truly get the most out of this drink, you need to use Japanese or Scotch whisky.

To find the best of those two styles, we once again went to the professionals behind the bar for help. We tasked them with telling us their favorite Japanese or Scotch whiskies to mix into a whisky highball. Check out all of their answers below and click on the prices if you want to try one of these yourself.

Yamazaki 12 Japanese Whisky

Scott Wenger, bartender at The Continental in Tampa

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $165

Why This Whisky?

While its cost is probably prohibitive, Yamazaki 12 is one of the finest whiskeys in the world and a great base for a whisky highball. I would jump at the opportunity to enjoy a glass of it in any way shape or form whether neat or mixed with soda water to create a refreshing, summery drink.

Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch

Benjamin Pozar, Bartender at Fogo de Chao in Dallas

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $39

Why This Whisky?

Layers are important and I like a good, blended Scotch whisky in my highball. A bit of Johnnie Walker Black Label with Pellegrino and lemon peel is heaven on earth. There are plenty of whiskies that go with standard club soda, but I like finer bubbles with citrus oil and a kiss of smoke.

Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch

Andy Shannon, co-founder of Candra Drinks in London

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $35

Why This Whisky?

Monkey Shoulder is a relatively new blended Scotch and has been created to mix into cocktails, making it a really strong candidate for a whisky highball. It has creamy fruity notes that are highlighted by the effervescence of sparkling water.

Glenfiddich 12 Single Malt Scotch

Anna Lazaridis, bartender at Home Team BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

Why This Whisky?

I prefer Glenfiddich 12 for my highballs. Speyside Scotch whiskies are very smooth and approachable, which is what I like in a highball. Glenfiddich 12 is reasonably priced and definitely works perfectly in this refreshing drink.

Ichiro’s Malt: Malt & Grain Japanese World Blend Whisky

Daniel Yang, lead bartender at Rosina inside The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas

ABV: 46.5%

Average Price: $110

Why This Whisky?

Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Whisky is an “all-world whisky” containing a blend of many of the world’s most notable whiskies, so you’ll still find your familiar flavor notes from scotch, rye, and bourbon all in one bottle. It has a beautiful nose of peach and some apricot, followed by a blend of vanilla and butterscotch. Its palate has prominent notes of toffee and malt and a finish of gingerbread and a hint of tropical fruits. Top it off with a high-quality club soda and you have yourself a mighty fine highball.

Hibiki 12 Japanese Whisky

Adam Mason, cocktail specialist at LouVino in Louisville

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $119

Why This Whisky?

Hibiki 12-Year-Old is hard to beat as a base for a whisky highball. In the simplest terms, it’s just amazing with notes of candied orange peels, caramel, and a nutty sweetness that all work well in the drink. Nothing needs to be said about this other than try it.

Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky

Ilan Chartor, head bartender at MILA in Miami

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $40

Why This Whisky?

Suntory Toki, no question. Mild peat and light fruit notes make it a great classic highball base but also a great play on highball base because of its versatility. We use it at MILA in our “Spring in Osaka” cocktail which has Suntory Toki, lychee-elderflower cordial, smoked cardamom essence, and club soda.

Nikka Yoichi Japanese Whisky

Juan Diego, lead bartender at Osaka Nikkei in Miami

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $99

Why This Whisky?

Nikka Yoichi Japanese Whisky plays perfectly with our vision of what a highball should be at Osaka Nikkei Miami. For us, using simple flavors such as house-smoked ginger ale, a perfect Collins spear, and fresh lemon swath combined with notes of shiso salt brings us the perfect Nikkei highball.

Mossburn Speyside Blended Scotch Whisky

Joel Ortega owner and founder of Timber & Blues in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $40

Why This Whisky?

Mossburn Blended Scotch Whisky ticks all the boxes for a great whisky highball with flavors like oak, sherry, and vanilla. Maybe I’m crazy but it kind of has a mezcal after taste and I love mezcal.

Glenmorangie X Single Malt Scotch

Young Kim, beverage director at Fine & Rare in New York City

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $36

Why This Whisky?

Glenmorangie X is a new expression made especially for mixing. The flavor is full of orange zest and some pear, chocolate, and ginger. Try with a premium brand of club soda and garnish with orange peel.

Mars Iwai Japanese Whisky

Ryan Anderson, complex director of beverage at Ace Hotel in New Orleans

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $37

Why This Whisky?

I prefer the clean taste of Mars Iwai Distillery Whisky located in the Alps of Japan. Mars is the highest altitude distillery in all of Japan and they use water coming from natural springs and streams coming out of the mountains surrounding the distillery. I like the texture of their whisky; It’s very naturally oily and viscous, which is great for mixing with club soda.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Japanese Whisky

Matt Nicholas, bar manager for The Kennedy Bar in Pensacola, Florida

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $90

Why This Whisky?

Hibiki Japanese Harmony from Suntory is my choice for a traditional highball. With a balance of malt and subtle honey, Hibiki Harmony sticks to the Japanese tradition of a smooth soft approachable whisky.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Kanye West’s Donda was supposed to be out by now, but as has become tradition with West albums, its release was delayed. The rapper is apparently still working on the project, but Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey thinks he should just release the album as it is now and update it later.

Yesterday, Dorsey tweeted, “And…this is unlikely and maybe against the creative process…but it would be incredible if @kanyewest put out #DONDA as it is now and continued to update it until he feels it’s ‘finished’…so we can all witness the work evolve in real time.” Apple Music’s Zane Lowe responded by noting that West did something similar with The Life Of Pablo, tweeting, “Pablo. It’s a great thing. Pure process.” In a reply to a similar tweet from another user, Dorsey wrote, “Yes and it was amazing.”

It seems that West spotted what he deemed a mistake during his most recent Donda listening event, so there’s still work to be done on the record. West hasn’t officially released any songs from the album yet, but when he decides to do that, it looks like “Hurricane” with The Weeknd and Lil Baby will be the first single.

One of Melania Trump’s few accomplishments as first lady, other than upsetting a lot of people with her “I Really Don’t Care” jacket, was her renovation to the White House’s Rose Garden. This also upset a lot of people, including historian Michael Bechloss, who tweeted, “Evisceration of White House Rose Garden was completed a year ago this month, and here was the grim result — decades of American history made to disappear.”

The official “Office of Melania Trump” Twitter account (which should not be confused with Melania’s personal account and its haunting banner image) replied to Bechloss over the weekend. “@BeschlossDC has proven his ignorance by showing a picture of the Rose Garden in its infancy. The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colorful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable & he should never be trusted as a professional historian,” the tweet reads, along with a photo of the superspreader garden:

The Trump White House revealed the newly renovated Rose Garden, which was spearheaded by the then-first lady, last August… A petition surfaced in April, which has received more than 80,000 signatures, calling for first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff to reverse the changes to the Rose Garden. “We want Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff to take this on and restore the Rose Garden to [former first lady Jackie Kennedy’s] original design,” the Change.org petition said.

Trump won’t find much sympathy on Twitter:

(Via the Hill)

Last Week Tonight couldn’t ignore recent (and damning) developments against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That would be the governor’s response to the New York Attorney General’s office release of a 165-page report that summarized the sexual harassment investigation against him. That’s practically a book, and the report ended up detailing allegations from nearly a dozen women (at least 9 of which were state employees, including a state trooper on his security detail) against Cuomo.

Cuomo’s video response to the allegations was completely bizarre. After he gaslit his accusers and named several of them in front of a national audience, he rolled out a montage of him touching and kissing people. His apparent intent: to show himself as a touchy-feely-kind-of guy, and he felt like that would “disprove” groping claims against him. Count John Oliver among the people who can’t figure out who thought this montage was a good idea.

“New York’s AG released a devastating report of (its) investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Andrew Cuomo which, incredibly, he is trying to ride out, issuing a video in which he tried to deny or downplay the accusations,” Oliver declared before playing the audio of Cuomo’s defense: “I do kiss people on the forehead. I do kiss people on the cheek. I do kiss people on the hand. I do embrace people.”

To that, Oliver exclaimed, “Okay, but that’s not what this is about!” He continued: “It’s frankly incredible that Cuomo thought releasing an irrelevant montage of photos would somehow exonerate him. Apparently his strategy for literally any crisis is ‘Put together a PowerPoint, and that’s it.’”

And that’s about all that can be said (at this point) about Cuomo’s ridiculous attempted defense of himself. From there, Oliver discussed the Olympics before “Opioids III,” his deep dive segment on Oxycontin (and Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family). You can watch that portion of the show on YouTube.

For the past couple weeks now, Kanye West fans have been hoping for some sort of activity on his streaming platform pages as Donda continually faces delays. Well, there was a change recently, but it wasn’t Donda-related.

As NME points out, West’s “Nah Nah Nah” remix featuring 2 Chainz and DaBaby is no longer on Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal. This comes following DaBaby’s controversial comments about HIV/AIDS, although it has not been indicated that the song’s removal is related to that.

This comes after DaBaby delivered an overdue apology, writing on Instagram, “I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all.” However, that post no longer appears on his page.

As for West, despite hosting two stadium-sized listening parties for Donda, the album has yet to be released and has missed two scheduled release dates so far. As Mike Dean indicates, the latest delay could be due to a mixing mistake that West noticed during the most recent listening event. Meanwhile, it appears that a song with The Weeknd and Lil Baby could be the album’s first single.

We’re officially in the back half of 2021. Summer will be over soon. The holiday season is coming in fast. For booze, that all means whiskey awards are going to start dropping at a pretty quick pace. To that end, The Spirits Business just announced their American Whiskey Masters award winners. The top honors had some serious surprises and gave us a little pause. We knew we had to dig in.

The awards are chosen by small panels of industry insiders, whiskey writers, and bar folk. Each flight of whiskey is tasted blind and ranked. “Master” is the highest honor with gold, silver, and bronze prizes also awarded. We’re focusing only on the masters this time around as those are the best of the best.

Of the ten “masters” from this year’s tastings, six came from Sazerac Company with five from their Buffalo Trace distillery alone. This isn’t really surprising. Sazerac owns some of the best distilleries operating in America today and really pushes their brands on the awards circuit. What was surprising was the relatively cheap bourbon from Buffalo Trace that took home bourbon “masters” designations: Benchmark. In fact, three of the brand’s labels ended up at the top of the “premium” bourbon category.

To better understand this year’s American Whiskey Masters, we decided to provide our own tasting notes to add a little more context to the list of winners. If any of these bottles pique your interest, make sure to click on the prices to try them yourself!

Benchmark Small Batch

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $17

The Whiskey:

The McAfree brothers were the trio who followed the Great Buffalo Trail from Virginia into Kentucky in the 1770s and founded what would become part of today’s Buffalo Trace. The bourbon in this very cheap bottle is a standard “small batch” though there’s not a whole lot of information on what that entails exactly. Otherwise, this is a standard bourbon that’s made for mixing.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a truly basic bourbon vibe on the nose and throughout the palate. Vanilla extract, slightly wet oak, and that raw Buffalo Trace leather dominate the nose. The taste pretty much stays in that arena with caramel apples and floral honey popping up next to a slight metallic note and soft mineral water mouthfeel. The end is short and sweet and leaves you with that leather, oak, and vanilla primarily.

Bottom Line:

Sazerac is pushing Benchmark hard as a line of cheap bourbon to compete with the likes of Beam. It’s, well, fine. For under $20, you’re not going to go wrong but there’s really nothing to write home about with this bottle.

Benchmark Bonded

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

The juice in this bottle is from Buffalo Trace’s Mash #1, which has a scant amount of barley and rye next to mostly corn. This is the same mash that’s used for bigger hitting brands like Eagle Rare, Stagg, and E.H. Taylor. In this case, this is a four-year-old bonded that’s sort of like a proto-E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch.

Tasting Notes:

This is surprisingly bright with a nose full of lemon-honey tart sweetness, a touch of vanilla extract, a hint of charred wood, and maybe a little wet leather. The taste keeps it simple and really leans into the oak and vanilla while the honey sweetness mellows to a standard caramel with a hint of spicy tobacco. The end is pretty short but leaves you with that vanilla, honey, and tobacco.

Bottom Line:

It’s amazing how much more refined this is than the Small Batch and even standard Benchmark. While we’d likely never put their Small Batch on a “best of” list, this certainly deserves a little respect for being a damn well-made bonded bourbon at a very approachable price point. Still, in the end, this really is just a solid mixing bourbon for the burgeoning home bartender.

Benchmark Full Proof

ABV: 62.5%

Average Price: $20

The Whiskey:

So, this is just taking the standard Benchmark and bottling it at barrel proof. Well, it’s more than that. Only a few barrels of Benchmark make it to a flavor point that’ll allow full proof barreling. Still, this vatted bourbon is all about the pure juice from the barrel with no cutting with water to tame it.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mild intensity with notes of spicy dry tobacco next to dark chocolate on the nose with a hint of eggnog spices and creamy vanilla. That all delivers on the palate with the addition of brandy and spicy stewed apples, a touch of leathery chew, and a long, spicy tobacco finish.

Bottom Line:

If I were ranking this line, I’d always put the Single Barrel over the Full Proof. But, this isn’t my ranking. Overall, this is another perfectly fine mixing bourbon. You can sip it over rocks and it’ll be tasty though, frankly, pretty forgettable.

A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength

ABV: 70.55%(!)

Average Price: $100 (via lottery)

The Whiskey:

The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is a Sazerac distillery that hardcore whiskey nerds know of but the average whiskey drinker has probably never even heard of. Their line is primarily filled with experimental small-batch releases. That changed this year with A. Smith Bowman’s release of their new permanent release of A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength. The juice is a ten-year-old Virginia bourbon that somehow stayed at a bafflingly high ABV of 70.55 percent.

Tasting Notes:

This is hot on the nose but you still find nuanced and classic bourbon notes. Rich vanilla pudding, creamy and buttery toffee, very old wooden cellar beams dripping with cobwebs, and a touch of dark berry invite you in. The palate burns … just flat-out burns. That being said, there’s a distinct matrix of old leather tobacco pouches, the burnt sugar from a silky crème brûlée, and a dash of sweet apple covered in salty caramel. The end lingers for a while. There’s a mild nuttiness with an edge of almost nougat as the heat really falls off, leaving you with a real buzz.

Bottom Line:

I’ve been avoiding opening this bottle for a while now. Well, this was the perfect excuse to finally peel away that plastic wrapper and coax out that cork. This was an A+ bourbon for sure but, goddamn, is it hot. Absinthe is usually only 65 percent and this is well over that and you feel it. I’m going to give this a shot in a few cocktails as I can’t see this ever being an everyday sipper for me — at least not without a tumbler full of ice to cool it down.

E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $140

The Whiskey:

This much-lauded and beloved bottle from Buffalo Trace is classic whiskey making. The spirit is from Buffalo Trace’s low-rye mash bill. The juice is then aged in warehouses built by the Colonel over 100 years ago. The best barrels are selected yearly for batching and bottling with no fussing whatsoever.

Tasting Notes:

The sip draws you in with a spicy berry jam next to a perfumed note (kind of like wet potpourri) and buttery toffee sweetness. The taste, on the other hand, leans into vanilla oils, dry cedar, and a dusting of white pepper that leads back to the spice without the jam. The end is kind of long and really smoothes out, thanks to the vanilla and toffee as the peppery spice builds towards a tobacco-filled cedar box and a very distant hint of fresh mint.

Bottom Line:

On a recent re-taste of this, it really stood up to my memory of it. It’s just a solid all-around bourbon. I like it as a sipper on the rocks or in cocktails. You can’t go wrong with this one.

TX Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks

ABV: 50.8%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

This new expression takes TX’s four-year-old straight bourbon and finishes it in a Tawny Port cask from Portugal. That French White oak spent ten years in the Duoro Valley in Portugal holding port wine before it was sent over to Texas to finish this bourbon for about six months of mellowing.

Tasting Notes:

That classic bourbon mix of candied apples, soft leather, rich caramel, and almost buttery vanilla invites you in on the nose. The sweetness of this dram leans into a honey vibe with a slight prune underbelly next to all that vanilla, buttery caramel, apple, and soft tobacco spiciness. A hint of stone fruit note carries you into the finish as the sweetness becomes more maple syrup with a thin note of roasted nuts and dry dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

Port cask finishing is burning up the craft bourbon game right now. It’s easy to see why. These bourbons tend to be crowd-pleasers that deliver for the experts too. This is just a tasty sip of bourbon that’ll keep you reaching for another pour.

Hirsch The Horizon

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Hotaling & Co., started by San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing, is a hell of a blendery. This expression is a mix of two MGP of Indiana whiskeys. The lion’s share (94 percent) is a five-year-old bourbon with a fairly standard mash bill of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. That’s married to a six-year-old bourbon with a mash bill of 60 percent corn, 38 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. The whiskey is proofed down to 92 proof and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of pipping hot cornbread dripping with whipped butter cut with cinnamon and vanilla on the nose. That spicy vanilla butter really drives the palate’s flavor as the sweetness leans towards pancake syrup on a pecan waffle with a small hint of leather and tobacco lurking in the background.

Bottom Line:

Having finally tasted this recently, I get the hype now. This is a really solid entry into the sweeter bourbon world, especially for only $40. I can see using this to make a bomb bourbon-infused pancake syrup or simply enjoying it on the rocks.

New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

Beer barrel-aged bourbon isn’t a new thing. There’s a lot of mediocre representation out there though. This bottle comes from a brewer and tends to lean a little more into the “beer” vibe of the bourbon.

Tasting Notes:

The nose isn’t overly distinctive but does carry slight hints of nuttiness, dark spice, and a touch of dark chocolate malts. The palate gets a little bolder with a creamy vanilla backbone next to more baking spices, more chocolate, and a tiny hint of dark fruit. The finish is shortish with a sweeter edge that leans into the vanilla and spice, reminding you of a nice stout.

Bottom Line:

I’ve never been that impressed by this. It’s fine for what it is but feels very much like a novelty to my palate.

E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $92

The Whiskey:

Buffalo Trace’s rye mash bill is an interesting one. This mash bill contains only rye and malted barley (other rye’s from Buffalo Trace are only 51 percent rye for comparison’s sake). The result is a rye that highlights the greener end of the genre with a deeply devoted fan base.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with a nose full of raisins, holiday spices, a dash of green peppercorn, and a very distant herbal note that leans towards fresh dill. The palate has a toffee foundation with those dried fruits and spices as the main attraction of this sip. There’s a mild dry oak on the finish that leads back towards the green peppercorns and fresh dill with a slightly sweetened end.

Bottom Line:

I just did a blind tasting with this rye against a handful of other ryes I like. It did not win anyone over. If you’re not into that dill note, this is a hard swallow. It’s unique, sure. But there are tons of other ryes for well under half the price of this that are just as good and maybe even better.

Stagg Jr. — Master & Taste Master

ABV: Varies

Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

This entry-point to the much older and much higher-priced, George T. Stagg, is killing the bourbon game right now. The juice is generally eight to nine-year-old bourbons, made at Buffalo Trace, and batched and bottled with no fussing, cutting, or filtering. The results are an award-winning bourbon that’s getting harder and harder to find for its MSRP.

Tasting Notes:

There is distinct and rich molasses next to hints of pecan, dark and bold holiday spices, and vanilla oils on the nose. The palate holds onto those notes and adds a cherry sweetness with a hint of woody apple in the background and a touch of toffee. The end is long and very hot, leaving you with a spicy tobacco buzz on your tongue and senses.

Bottom Line:

This is another hot bourbon. While I get that some people want extremes in their bourbon, this really works best as a cocktail mixer. In fact, it feels like this was built to be exactly that. Hell, its MSRP is only $60, making it an excellent candidate for a high-end cocktail mixer. Still, the hype machine got a hold of this one and now people are getting more and more precious about it. That’s a shame because this makes a mean Manhattan.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive commission pursuant to some entries on this list.

The Los Angeles Lakers, as is oftentimes the case whenever they take the floor for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, brought a whole bunch of fans to the Thomas and Mack Center on Sunday evening. The team took on the Phoenix Suns in a rematch of their first-round series from this past postseason, with an undrafted player getting a look in the purple and gold playing the hero.

Los Angeles found itself down by one with less than 10 seconds remaining. Vic Law’s attempt from behind the three-point line came up a bit short, but on the ensuing miss, Austin Reaves found himself in position to reel in the rebound and, while still in midair, bank in what ended up being a game-winning bucket.

Reaves was a player some NBA Draft prognosticators believed could have gone in the second round. A high-scoring guard who began his collegiate career at Wichita State before transferring to Oklahoma, Reaves averaged 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors with the Sooners last year.

The Lakers will, like any team, use Summer League as a chance to evaluate younger dudes and see how they can potentially fit in their program. Reaves had a modest night, scoring 11 points and pulling in four rebounds, but he certainly garnered some positive attention with this bucket.

Conservatives love the Founding Fathers. Or at least they like invoking them to score political points. Every now and then some GOP lawmaker goes on Twitter and makes some bold declaration about how George Washington et al. would hate something Democrats are doing. They then get dragged online. It’s happened to Jim Jordan. And on Sunday it happened to the far more obscure lawmaker Mike Braun.

Who’s Mike Braun? He’s a senator from Indiana. He doesn’t like the Affordable Care Act, abortion or same-sex marriage. He also doesn’t like the fact that Joe Biden was elected president. He was one of the GOP lawmakers who helped spread Trump’s voter fraud lies. Still, he rarely makes news. But on Sunday he became known as yet another Republican mocked for making questionable statements about the people who helped found the United States.

“The Founders never intended the federal government to grow to this size,” Braun tweeted. It’s not clear what exactly he was referring to. It likely has to do with the $1 trillion infrastructure bill the Senate is moving slowly to passing.

But to most, it just seemed like an ahistorical nonsense. And many people were happy to pile on top of it, pointing out other things that Founding Fathers wouldn’t have intended. Like certain people being free or equal to white men.

They also were very clear about impeaching law-breaking presidents, especially ones who inspired a violent and deadly coup — which the Trump-loving Braun was, of course, against.

In fact, there’s lots and lots of things the Founders never intended.

But some, instead of dwelling on what they would and wouldn’t have intended, argued that doing so is a waste of time anyway.

Sunday marked the start of the 2021 edition of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, with 14 of the league’s 30 teams in action at either the Thomas & Mack Center or Cox Pavilion. While there were other storylines to monitor, the league’s schedule-makers seemingly targeted top draft picks in prime time, with four of top six picks (including Josh Giddey) in the 2021 NBA Draft squaring off against one another in two nationally televised games. With that in mind, there was plenty to glean from the opening slate of action, and that extends to No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, No. 2 pick Jalen Green and No. 3 Evan Mobley.

Here’s what we saw from the young stars who took the NBA stage for the first time in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Cade Cunningham

Cunningham wasted absolutely no time in Detroit’s matchup against Oklahoma City. The do-everything wing converted a pair of three-pointers before the first timeout of the game, with the second triple arriving in pull-up fashion.

For large portions of the first half, the Pistons allowed Saddiq Bey and Killian Hayes to initiate the offense, meaning Cunningham’s on-ball reps were reduced. There will be plenty of time for that, of course, but he managed to make a difference defensively, using his length and acumen to create havoc while also making sound rotations.

Cunningham continued that havoc creation with a steal that led to a fast break dunk early in the third quarter, and he added some half-court offense with an efficient, effective rim attack.

All told, it wasn’t as if Cunningham was efficient or utterly dominant in his debut and, because of this, the overreaction machine may kick into overdrive. He did commit five turnovers, flagging a concern that existed during his collegiate career, and Cunningham finished 3-for-10 from inside the arc.

Given how Green performed (see below), Cunningham’s game may be seen as a disappointment, but his abilities flashed along the way. He made high-level passing reads, rebounded well, showcased his underrated defensive ability (particularly off the ball) with playmaking and execution, and certainly displayed his overall feel for the game.

Jalen Green

In a game that was truly entertaining — something that doesn’t exactly happen frequently during Summer League — Green was the most electric offensive force on the floor between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He opened the evening with a bang, using his craft, athleticism, and overall skill level to leave an imprint.

Green closed the first quarter on a beautiful note, taking the ball to the rim and finishing with conviction to beat the buzzer.

All told, Green led all scorers at the break, and he wasn’t done. His scoring profile was the headline trait in advance of the draft, and the bucket getting continued after halftime, pouring in contested jumpers and creating space with his burst.

The scoring will undoubtedly (and rightfully) get the attention, but Green did show other flashes. He’s an effective hit-ahead passer, and also shows creativity as a distributor in half-court settings.

Green’s defense has a long way to go in some respects, but he did show competitiveness. Memorably, he held up reasonably when switched onto Mobley in a no-win situation.

https://twitter.com/Kyle__Boone/status/1424508813944705026

Even with a scoreless fourth quarter, Green was the leading scorer in the game. He scored 23 points, on 9-for-16 shooting and 4-for-9 from three, through three quarters. In short, it was a highly effective debut that reminded observers of his full scoring arsenal. It may not be like this for every Summer League game, but Green was generally fantastic.

Evan Mobley

Coming into the opener, it was a safe projection that Mobley may not pop in the same way as Green. After all, Summer League is often a guard-based enterprise and, in the case of Mobley, he is reliant on Cleveland’s guard play in a way that may not be advantageous for garnering box-score stats in this setting. However, Mobley flashed his arsenal, just as Green did, and it was encouraging all the same.

Early, Mobley showcased a comfortable handle and passing willingness in transition.

Mobley also put his touch as a finisher on display, and he is a dangerous lob threat.

Perhaps the most impressive highlight run arrived when Mobley generated a rebound, threw down a monster dunk in traffic, then blocked the shot of Rockets first round pick Alperen Sengun.

Mobley’s performance was more understated than Green’s happened to be, and that was illustrated with 12 points and five rebounds. However, his defense really came to the surface, not only with three blocked shots, but also with general awareness, versatility and the ability to change the approach of opponents with his length.

Offensively, Mobley wasn’t efficient, scoring 12 points on 17 shots, and he did struggle down the stretch. Still, the lack of help from Cleveland’s perimeter options was stark, and Mobley’s defense jumped off the screen for those paying close attention. He’ll need to add bulk to his skinny frame, but Mobley flashed the well-rounded game that made the Cavs take him with a top-three selection.