If you liked the 0.1s, you are going to like the 0.2s as well. A slight upgrade for sure, but there was nothing wrong with the 0.1s. If it works, why fix it!
What is going on everyone? AirJayP back once again with another performance review for you! This will probably be my last review put out before Christmas, so let me start by saying I wish you and all your families a very Merry Christmas!
Today as you already know we are going to be talking about Lamelo's second signature shoe, and these are a pair that I really like and have thoroughly enjoyed playing in. These have been a lot of fun and currently my go-to pair! Am I saying these are number 1 on my list of playing so far this year? Maybe, maybe not we shall see! These will most likely be In my top 3 regardless of where they land. There are so many good hoop shoes out right now, it is almost take your pick whether that is brand, or player preference but with that being said lets go ahead and see how these performed for me!
Traction: 5
No issues and only promising results with these straight out of the box from a traction standpoint. They feel super tacky, or grip the floor really well from all aspects. I had no issues laterally, or vertically and felt pretty much glued to the floor in a good way at all times. I had no issues cutting or making quick/sudden movements. The traction also worked well on all indoor surfaces. Whether the floor was clean, dusty, or dirty there were no problems for me at all. I did not take these outside, and I probably would be hesitant too. This is not because I do not think they would perform well, but your traction may be vulnerable to wear off pretty quickly outdoors. Comparing to the 0.1s if you are wondering? I felt these performed better straight out of the box with no wiping on dusty courts. I remember having a few issues starting out with the 0.1s, which did get better. These are ready to go and I do not see many being to disappointed from a traction standpoint with these guys.
Weight: 4
Probably my lone issue with the 0.1s was I felt they wear a little heavy or bulky. Not to the point that I did not like the shoe, but something I could notice compared to playing in other shoes. These are definitely an upgrade in that category. I do not have or know specific weights, but I am going completely off of court feel on this one and these do feel lighter on court to me. Could the weight probably still be brought down some.. yes, but honestly these offered me no issues while playing, and I do think if you played in the 0.1s this will be a noticeable upgrade for most.
Fit: 5
I would definitely recommend going true to size with these. For whatever reason this year I have been going down half a lot for a more snug feel/fit which I do prefer in my playing shoes, but with these you are definitely good to go true to size. No issues from a fit standpoint. I have been very happy with Puma sizing overall since the revamp of the basketball line. I am not sure if it is just me or if everyone else feels the same, but I pretty much can go true to size in any of their basketball line and have a true 1:1 fit. You do not always find this, and it is something I have been really happy about.
Lockdown: 5
Once again, nothing to complain about here. From the time I laced these up and started playing in them for the first time they felt great from a lockdown or containment standpoint. The heel area/ankle area feels great on foot and keeps the area locked in at all times. The mid/forefoot also offers the same. I also did not have any negative space in the toe area. You are covered in all aspects from a lockdown standpoint. These are obviously more of a mid cut shoe and this is normally my favorite height for a basketball shoe. They also offer a traditional lacing system which we know I love! you can get those laces exactly how tight or loose you would like them to be. I felt covered and locked into the shoe at all times while on court and there are no complaints from me from a lockdown standpoint. If you enjoyed how the lockdown felt on the 0.1s you will have no issues here either as they feel almost identical to me from this aspect.
Materials: 4
The materials are similar to the 0.1s, but at the same time I do feel like they are a lighter weight upgrade. The materials still do have that kind of thick type feel to them, but definitely not quite as thick as the 0.1s. They are breathable, but they do stack up some sweat at times or it is kind of noticeable when taking them off. The mesh upper though does help with this and it is something that I did not notice or really bother me at all while playing. I had no issues really from the materials on the 0.1s, and as I said these are definitely an upgrade to the feel and performance on court. Let me also say the materials feel really nice and comfortable on your foot while on court. Once again here if you liked the 0.1s, you will have no trouble with these. This shoe is mostly an all around upgrade to the 0.1s, but do feel a lot of the same on court.
Cushion: 5
Cushion from a comfort standpoint with the 0.2s feels great and very comparable once again to the 0.1s on court. I think these were one of the most comfortable basketball shoes on court last year, and these 0.2s will be right there again. My lone issue normally with cushion as you know is a lot of times I prefer more court feel. With the 0.1s I felt they could have offered a little less cushion and more court feel, but at the same time the comfort was so good and what I believe they were going for that really I can understand why it was the way it was. With the 0.2s I personally thought there was a little more court feel than the 0.1s. These still feature Nitro foam in the midsole, but It just seemed to have a little different feel for me. I am definitely not complaining as I got a little more court feel, but at the same time they feel just as comfortable to me on court. I can tell you with my knees getting older I am starting to prefer more cushion than court feel, but with these I got the best of both worlds and I could not have been happier with how these felt on court!
Overall: 5
Overall, well you have got a really good hoop shoe here, and one that a lot of people are really going to like playing in this year and for some time to come. I feel like these are getting a little overlooked where Lamelo has been hurt most of the year, but it seems he is getting healthy now and with that I do think these will start getting the attention they deserve. The 0.2s top to bottom, all the way around, I really have no issues with. If there is one aspect and I mean only one that could be changed a little it would probably be the weight, but at the same time if they lightened the shoe even more I do not know that your going to get the same comfort from them with the materials and cushion. I hope the line sticks to the path it is on though as a whole and if I have to deal with the current feel, trust me it will be fine. These are super solid and without nit-picking you aren't going to have an issue with these on court.
I mentioned this previously, but these will definitely be in my top 3 for this season/year however you want to describe it. I sometimes do not like even saying my top at the actual end or beginning of the new year because I know I will be testing more hoop shoes out for the current season. That is probably not what you care about up to this point though, so the top 3 contenders will be the KD 15, Lebron 20, & these Lamelo 0.2s. All 3 are superb pairs, and you cannot go wrong with any of the 3. Make sure you are following me over on IG to see where I end up ranking these 3 for the end of this year! My IG handle is airjayp11.
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