Nike GT Future Performance Review

A new model from Nike Basketball, and from the looks, & the details of the tech, we may have something special here! Whether good or bad on court, they are definitely going to turn heads aesthetically off court!

What is going on, everyone?? AirJayP here, and today we are going to be talking about an anticipated basketball sneaker from Nike being the GT Future! If you follow me on IG, you will already know, but I suffered an ankle injury about two weeks ago. I have a pretty severe sprain with a small hairline fracture. I have been taking it easy, and will most likely be a bit before I hit the court again. I am trying to progress every day, and hoping for a quick return! Until then, we will get out as many reviews as we can, but be patient with me until I can get this ankle back to 100%

But hey, you aren't here to hear about my ankle, so let's talk about those GT Futures!

Traction: 3.5/5

Starting off with the traction setup, we have a full rubber outsole that is fairly soft, has very wide grooves, and offers a multidirectional pattern. Straight out of the box, I honestly was a little worried these would be just terrible traction-wise, but they totally surprised me. I had some issues with dirty courts, but nowhere near what I expected. I figured the wide grooves may cause some excess dust pickup, but it just wasn't the case. I was able to cut and get to my spots and didn't have much trouble laterally or vertically, either. Sudden stops for pull-ups caused me no issues, and driving to the bucket was fine as well. Truth be told, the traction very much surprised me. Am I saying it's the best traction basketball shoe out right now? No, but I am saying it is a much better aspect than I expected after seeing them straight out of the box in hand. It goes to show, not always past experiences from the "look" of a shoe will give you the same outcome as previously. Straight herringbone would have been awesome on these, but no real big complaints here.

Fit & Ease Of Putting On: 3

Let's start here with one of my least favorite parts of the shoe, and that is how difficult it is to get onto your foot. I had to basically push and tug and stomp to get my foot into these. I am not quite sure, other than possibly the flex of the materials, as to why this is, but let me tell you it's a job. For the actual fit, they were a little long for me. I went with my normal down half and still felt they were a little long. There is absolutely no way, though, that I could have gone any smaller, as they were already hard enough to get on. On the other hand, no matter the size, it is still going to be hard to get them on. I wouldn't necessarily say sizing up will make that part any easier. If I were to solely recommend here, I would say go with your normal preferred Nike basketball sizing. If you can try it on in the store, it may be the best bet. If you struggle getting them on, just know that's normal, and get them on before completely disregarding the shoe.

Materials: 3

The materials for me on court are a mix of emotions. I expected them to be stiff, but somewhat flexible. These flex absolutely none. I'm talking, there is not a crease anywhere on these, after playing in them on several occasions. When I was playing in them, though, it was something I noticed, but it didn't bother me nearly as badly as I expected it to. This is going to totally be a preference thing, as for some, it may just not work out the same. I can also see and understand that as well. The upper has been compared a lot to Foamposites. I totally understand and get why, but here are some differences. Foams have a shinier or glossy type finish. These have more of a matte or scratchy type finish. These, in my opinion, scratch and or scuff up worse. The breathability was another area that could compare with foams, as there just isn't much air flow going on. Once again, though, with these, when on court, it was something that I didn't much notice until the end of the night, or until I was taking them off. The big takeaway here is this: these could have had a different take on the materials, and most likely they would have performed for a higher percentage of liking. Then again, though, without the innovation here, they sure wouldn't have looked as cool.

Cushion: 4

The most liked part of the sneaker for me had to be the cushion setup. From a tech standpoint, they sound fairly well to start with, but with this sneaker from the jump, I wanted to love them with how awesome they look, but I just didn't really know what to expect from any aspect. The cushion features Cushlon 3.0 foam as well as Full Length Air Zoom Strobel and forefoot Air Zoom. In my opinion, this sounds plush and like having quite a bit of impact protection. It does those things, but it is definitely not as soft/plush as I expected. It had more of a springy, responsive feel with a good amount of court feel. It almost felt like the mix I am usually looking for, and what always suits me the best, no matter the sneaker. The cushion, though, as it sounds from the jump to be great, really surprised me with how some of the other aspects were going after quite a bit of play time. These did take a little break in time to get the full effect of the cushion, but over that period of time, it seemed they got better and better each time out.

Lockdown: 5

Now that is a high score, and that's a good thing, but at the same time, most of that score is due to how locked in you are within these. I mean, like you aren't moving! Starting from the actual point of getting them on, until lacing them up, and the materials basically flexing none. These will definitely keep you locked in from heel to toe at absolutely all times. The lacing is a difficult setup and one that you may want to re-lace yourself from the get-go. I personally didn't, but this could help with some ease of getting on, etc. The lacing setup, though, does help get these tight on your foot and keep you locked in as well. The sneaker does feature an internal bootie system, which is also kind of stiff, and offers no real movement within. Once again, these are all great things from a lockdown standpoint, but I probably could have used a little more movement within. Whether that comes from the lockdown, or more so, within the materials. Had the materials flexed a little more, with this same type of lockdown feel. Now we're talking! Either way, worried about lockdown? Nothing to worry here, you ain't moving!

Overall: 3

These were highly anticipated for me. Anticipated, like I wanted to absolutely love these and purchase every CW. I wanted these to be my basketball shoe of the year. They just aren't. That is sometimes how it goes, and I am truly not knocking these either. Some aspects work well on court, and some are not worth not worth not playing in something different. This is a performance review, but wearing these off court or as a fashion piece may be more of the go. At the same time, though, with no real flex or movement for a non-hooper, they probably aren't going to like the feel for comfort purposes. If you have any interest in playing in these, I would say go for it because they are definitely different, look awesome on court, and are going to be a head turner for the rest of our basketball playing days. If you are expecting these to be a GOAT shoe, they won't be that, but I do expect there to be a few aspects that you do end up enjoying with them.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PERFORMANCE REVIEW ON THE GT FUTURE!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK & AS ALWAYS HAPPY HOOPING!