It's hard to believe that we are at the 38th model for the Jordan line. Let's jump right in, and see how they performed for me on court!
Fit: 3
I went tts with these and I wouldn’t necessarily call it a mistake because this will work for some, but for me I like my hoopers to be more snug. I wish I had gone down half a size with these. For some odd reason as well it feels like my right shoe fits a little different than the left. I would say this did affect my performance in some way or maybe didn’t give me the complete feel I was looking for. Getting your size is an essential with any sneaker, but a must with these. I would say to try them on if you are able, if not, if you have followed my judgment in the past and like the information I bring then I would recommend down half on these guys.
Cushion: 5 (For those that are looking for a ton of cushion)
I feel like nowadays about every year either the flagship Jordan or Lebron model has the most cushion/impact protection of any basketball sneaker out there. Well, this year is no different when referring to the Jordan 38s. These guys are beasts in the cushion category. The sneaker features full-length zoom Strobel, and a cushion 3.0 foam that combined offers a super comfortable/cushioned feel whether that is on or off court. If you are looking for impact protection and a ton of cushion look no further. These are soft, and plush, but do have responsiveness as well. I am not one really normally asking for this much cushion, but at the same time, it does feel nice on court. I would prefer a little more court feel, but at the same time I get what they are doing here with these, this model, and the entire line In general. These are meant to have a premium feel and that’s exactly what you are getting.
Traction: 5
I feel like the two strongest points of this sneaker are probably the cushion and the traction. These definitely didn't disappoint in these aspects. The CW that I played in did feature a translucent outsole with a pretty wild-looking traction pattern on the outsole. You have somewhat of a herringbone-type look, but it has several different directions across the entire outsole. The feel on the court was super tacky and grippy, and one that left me loving these from a traction standpoint. I had no issues moving laterally or vertically and they also performed great for me cutting and moving in different directions. I did play on a few dusty courts in these and I didn't notice them picking up any dust really or feeling much different from a clean vs dusty court. As mentioned before the traction was a standout or strong point to this pair on court, and I definitely would recommend them from this aspect.
Lockdown: 4
The Jordan line always seems to be adapting or trying to update the lockdown systems pretty much every single season with many different aspects but one in general with the plate systems. This year's model features what is called the X-plate. The point of this X-plate design underneath the foot or In the sole is to help keep your foot locked into the footbed when making quick movements, cuts, etc. From a feel standpoint, I thought that these did give you a nice locked-in feel from the get-go or first time out. My biggest issue was once again going back to the fit category. I just really needed to go down half on these to get the feel I was really needing or looking for. I do feel that with this sneaker to get the absolute most out of it you are going to have to have the correct fit. I did, and always love a traditional lacing system which these do have, so I was able to get my lacing to my liking. You also have a more traditional height on this pair with more of a mid or closer to a true high top. With the correct fit, these will offer you a nice locked-in feel on the court.
Materials: 4
The Jordan 38s just from images and due to their build being more of a traditional mid or high are going to initially be a little bit heavier than a more modern-day low-top basketball sneaker. They did a great job with these in my opinion of getting that material weight down from what it could have been, but at the same time, they are still a little heavy or have a somewhat bulky feel in my opinion on court. The 38s also are the most sustainably made Air Jordan in history. The sneaker is made of at least 20% recycled material. As mentioned before this sneaker just has more of a premium feel and a lot of detail work to them. They didn't shy away with the work they did on the materials either by placing some nostalgia points within. There are 41 crosshatches on the collar which represent MJ's performance in the 93 NBA Finals where he averaged 41 ppg. There are also 3 diamonds on the medial side that represent the 3-peat. I am sure there are many more hidden marks/details that are hidden on these as well. These were very thought out and every aspect seems to have a reasoning behind the design. I love that, and I also love the hidden nostalgia within the sneaker's materials.
Overall: 3
A little lower than maybe I want to give these, but I do feel like some of the recent prior models I did like a lot more than these. These are by no means a bad basketball sneaker, and for the right player, I would recommend them. If you love cushion, and lots of impact protection with a more true traditional basketball sneaker feel on court.. These are going to be the absolute sneaker for you. These sort of remind me of the feel of some Lebron models before his sneakers started being more of a lower-top model. There is nothing wrong with that and if that's a preference for you these are going to work out great! I will say you are getting a very nice basketball sneaker here that has nothing but a premium feel from the first time out in them. I feel like there are a lot of other pairs out there that I would prefer over these, but at the same time, none of those in my mind have as premium of a feel on the court as these do. This is one of those basketball sneakers that some are going to love and some are going to not like so much. Either way, it is a solid basketball sneaker and one that has some very strong points that will last you for quite some time on court.
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