Much of the same feel, with an even better look, making another solid performer this year from the MB line!!
Let’s talk about it!
What’s up, everyone?? AirJayP is back again with another performance review for you. Pretty excited about this one! I have been a huge fan of the MB line from Puma hoops beginning with the 0.1s. The 0.2s, I even rated as my favorite hoop shoe of last season! Will these live up to that hype?? Maybe, maybe not, but either way let’s go ahead and break these down!
Fit: 5
Beginning with how these things will fit your foot, I went true to size on these and was pretty happy with the results. A lot of times I will prefer to go down half a size in my hoop shoes for a fact of getting a little bit more of a snug fit. With these, I was good to go with my standard true-to-size. I do think it would have been tough for me to go down half on these as they have a semi-narrow fit in my opinion and it may have cramped my toes a little had I gone down. My recommendation here is to go with your standard Puma size or previous MB shoe size. If you have not tried a pair at all then I would just say go with your standard true-to-size.
Aesthetics: 5
If we are talking straight looks here and nothing else, I do believe this may be the best-looking hoop shoe currently out on the market. I just love what they have done here with the designs and small details all over the shoe. A lot is going on, but I feel like in a good way. I have pretty much liked every model from an aesthetics standpoint as is, but these are the ones that put them over the top! There are going to be a lot of great CWs for this model as well. I think as the season moves on and more colors and pairs drop these will become increasingly popular and will be seen a lot on court.
Traction: 4
Once again a solid performer from a traction standpoint. The sneaker features a solid rubber outsole with a great-looking and detailed outsole. The sneakers feature the famous Rare from Puma/Lamelo on the outsole with one shoe saying RA while the other has RE. When I say these are detailed and they were going for a “look” for the shoe, that is exactly what they did. Back to the performance though! These offered me no real issues on any court that was clean, but they did give me a little issue on a dusty floor. The issues on a dusty floor were nothing that the pros didn’t outweigh the cons, but it was noticeable at times. These will pick up some dust bunnies, but a little wiping and you are good to go. When we are talking about a clean floor though, and most times rather than not that is the surfaces I am playing on I had no issues laterally or vertically and was able to stop, cut on a dime, and have the feel I am looking for traction wise at all times on the court. Another great detail or feature is the traction on the forefoot and toe area actually travels up the side of the shoe into the midsole area and reminds me somewhat of what used to be done on the Kyrie line. If you know me, my all-time favorite basketball line was the Kyrie line, so hints, and details from that make these just that much better!
Lockdown: 4
This is going to be sort of a mixed category here of a few different aspects all pointing back towards the lockdown. The first time out in these depending on what you are currently playing in is going to be a little bit of an adjustment period. I have not figured out why, but every single model thus far from the MB line with the initial break-in period has given me blisters. There is something with the materials on the insole that bugs my foot initially. Once I get past that I am good to go. You are getting a mid-cut sneaker here, which is my all-time favorite for a hoop shoe. In the last several years I have been adjusting to play in more lows and I do enjoy them now, but there is just something about a mid that is the perfect setup for me. From the time I stepped into these, I did feel nice and locked in. There was no movement in the heel and it gave me a safe secure feel throughout the entire shoe from heel to toe there were no issues. There is a fairly large, outrigger to the sneaker, but it offers a safe feel on the court. I felt this was better to have than to not have on this sneaker as it does help very much with foot tipping or ankle rolling. You also get a nice lacing system that allows you to get the sneakers laced up to your liking. This is always an important aspect I want to be on any of my hoop shoes. As you noticed I didn’t give these a perfect score in the category, but I guess it's not the 100% actual performance as that did very well from a lockdown standpoint. The problem I had which can kind of happen with anything is the before and after with these. If you are going from a low top to these you are going to have a little longer break in time or some time to get adjusted to these. After you are done, if you go back to a low top you are again going to have some time to get used to those. I switch out hoop shoes quite a bit, so I am kind of used to this, but for some reason, it was a little more noticeable for me with these. Most basketball sneakers are going to have an initial break-in period of course, but these just gave me some initial issues and issues after going to something else. When playing in these and after getting them broke in, it felt as if they molded to my feet which in reality could be the extended break in time and offered me no problems. Just know, that you may have an extended break in time with these to get the max out of them.
Materials: 4
From the materials standpoint, you are once again getting something that is somewhat different and I do not necessarily mean from the actual material used, but the detailing to the aspect. You pretty much have a Knit upper all over the sneaker with a very padded outer heel area on the sneaker with also a very nice comfortable feel while inside the shoe or on the court as well. There are also some small cutouts on the sneaker around the medial, lateral, toe box, and forefoot area of the shoe where the cutouts are, there is a mesh material within. There are lots of overlays, detailing, and these cutouts I am specifying. There were once again major thought processes and design aspects that went into the making/material aspects of this sneaker as well which goes back to just the awesome aesthetic this shoe brings! The materials from a performance standpoint offered me no issues and I liked how they felt on the court. They did feel breathable, and they also seemed to be very durable as well. Maybe not something you are going to feel and think is premium to the touch which is something we just don’t get really anymore on any basketball sneaker, but from a performance aspect, and the overall look of the shoe/materials you are getting something pretty “wild” here, and I mean that in the most positive way it can be taken!!
Cushion: 4
Once again, we are going nearly top score here but not quite. The biggest reason for that is nothing necessarily wrong, but no real updates or nothing new from a feel standpoint in my opinion. These feature a NITROFOAM-infused midsole which in my opinion has been a very nice setup on all Puma models I have played in. The MB line always seems rather plush to me, with some court feel but I do notice more cushion than court feel in my personal opinion. This is something over my years I have come to be more and more of a fan of. My knees are only getting older and not any younger. I used to love nearly no cushion and all-court feel, but I just am not able to hold up for extended periods with those setups anymore. If you have liked how the previous models have felt on the court, especially the 0.2s, then I do believe you will like these from a cushion standpoint as well.
Overall: 4
Top to bottom, side to side, whichever way you wanna go; you are getting a solid performer with this sneaker on the court. There were some minor issues I had, but overall these are one of my current go-to hoop shoes since they were released. I find myself reaching for these when I am uncertain or just wanting a fun shoe to play in that night. If you have played in any of the other models as I mentioned before you are going to get a lot of the same type of feel out of these. I have liked every model thus far and I am ok with no major changes or tweaks at this point. As long as they keep progressing in the way that they have with this line it can only keep getting better. That is my opinion of this line in general, the 0.1s were good. The 0.2’s were great! Here we are again with the 0.3’s and I feel they are even a step above the 0.2’s. I have no serious issues or complaints about this shoe and if you are looking for a top-tier performer that performs well in all categories and has an absolutely great look on the court, these are definitely a pair you need to give a look at!
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