Hoping for at least the same or possibly even better than previous models, but these took a little step backward for me..
What is going on everyone?? AirjayP is back again, and today we are going to talk about those KD 16s. In general, the KD line is one of my favorites from Nike and usually ends up being one of my favorite on-court models each year. Now do not get me wrong, there are going to be a lot of people that like or maybe even love this shoe, but this was just one of those I wanted to love but just couldn't get to that point with. Let's talk about it!
Fit: 3
I am kind of trying to figure out where to start here, so we will give it a go with the fit. With all basketball sneakers first and foremost if the fit is not correct then you are probably going to have some issues with that shoe. That is not really the case for me here but more so that I felt like the fit, lockdown, and traction all kind of worked hand in hand together and certain areas were just off. I bring this up to go over in more detail later, but I do think this is important to bring up before diving in. Overall the fit for my foot was decent. I did go down half a size and had a fit that I was looking for with being a little more snug than my casual shoes, but it did still offer me some movement within the shoe. If I were to recommend sizing on these it is to try them on in-store. By now almost all footwear stores have a pair of them and maybe it is not the colorway you want, but you can at least try them on and order the colorway you are looking for. If by all means you are just looking to order, if you have liked my sizing recommendations in the past I would go down half for that more snug fit.
Aesthetics: 3
I felt like the 15s looked better than the 16s. There seemed to be more detailing and I just think the overall cws were much better. I do not think the 16s are a bad-looking shoe, but I do feel they are more of the same with maybe some steps back from the 15s. I do really like the B.A.D. cw that I have and was the pair I tested. I also really like the Aunt Pearl CW as always, but other than that I feel they have been a little weak on the 16s. Overall not a bad-looking shoe, but I will say I think these could have been better.
Traction: 3
Now let's try to get into this over the next few sections on how the traction, lockdown, and going back to the fit tie in together for me.
The traction was not bad on clean, non-dusty courts and I didn't have a lot of issues out of the traction. I did have some trouble when moving vertically and laterally as well. I had a lot of movement within the shoe. This is where as I mentioned before it feels as if I had a lot going on between the 3 categories previously mentioned. When I played on a dusty court it was much of the same, but worse for me. I had a lot of issues cutting or trying to get stopped without sliding if the court was dusty. Overall here if you are playing on a clean court and get the kinks out you may find yourself liking these. I do think they will be tough even with wiping on dusty surfaces and a pair that I expected much more out of.
Lockdown: 2
Once again trying to tie the fit, lockdown, and traction together here. I believe my biggest issue came from within the lockdown, but it could also go back to the fit which I already went half a size down in.. See my point here? I was having a really hard time differentiating where my problems or issues with these were coming from. Anyway, I just didn't have a good experience lockdown-wise with these. I do prefer or like your more traditional style of lacing. I feel like the cut of the sneaker is almost identical to the 15 which was a shoe I did enjoy. The movement within though, even with these laced up tight was just something I am not used to from this line or any basketball sneaker I am going to enjoy. When I first started playing in these I was previously testing a higher top shoe and had thought you know what let's give these some time because you are going from a higher top to now a low again and maybe that's the problem. I wanted to like and even love these because of my history with the line in general, but I just couldn't get there with all the movement I was having.
Cushion: 3
The cushion is not like the previous 15 which featured full-length zoom Strobel, and man did I not only love that shoe but the setup in general! These do offer much more court feel than previous models which I am ok with, but there is not much like playing in that full-length zoom strobel. The 16s feature a bottom-loaded forefoot zoom air unit and with full-length foam as well. It does work and feels pretty decent on the court. I will say I do like previous setups better, but this was probably the strongest point of the shoe for me as I didn't mind the court feel, feel with these. I do think it was a step backward though to change to a more traditional style setup than the full-length zoom strobel they had going on. I do think it will switch back in the future, but I have been wrong many times before so who knows?
Materials: 4
I had or have no issues with the materials and definitely, this area and cushion were the two strongest points of the shoe for me. The upper is a multilayer or thick mesh material that is very breathable, feels lightweight, and worked out well for me on the court. The materials have also been very durable for me and that is something we are all looking for is a sneaker to last us a long time on court. The materials worked out nicely for me and were no disappointment from the 16s.
Overall: 3
I have mentioned this several times throughout this review, but I wanted to love this shoe. The KD line in general was usually second for me behind the Kyrie line, and each year I look forward to playing in them. These just did not live up to my expectations. I did have some good runs in them and did play a ton in them which means I did have fun in them. When I sit down and break down each aspect though it is just so hard to give them the score I would love to give them! I am trying to be honest here within my reviews and bring to you how each shoe performed for me on court. Maybe I got a flawed sizing pair and that is the reason for all the movement, or maybe I have a weird foot for the shape of this shoe. I am not sure. I do think there will be some that grab these and love playing in them. I am not here to persuade you to buy or not buy something. I am once again here to just give you my results. I always try to have fun hooping, and these were fun to test, but I do think the 17s will be a total revamp and I cannot wait to try them out on the next run from the line!
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