What's Going on everyone??
AirjayP is back and today were going to be talking about the highly anticipated first signature shoe for Lamelo Ball from Puma basketball! Lets go ahead and just say I like these a whole, whole lot! Let's jump right in!
But first before jumping in lets talk about the new grading system or technically the old but back grading system. I have given a lot of thought and I want to go back to using my grading scale of 0-5 instead of 0-3. I feel like this gives more understanding or rating options to each aspect. You can always let me know your thoughts or opinions of which grading system you prefer in the comments!
Now back to the Lamelo 1's!!
All testing on these were done indoors. No outdoor testing was done on this pair.
Traction: 4
Jumping straight into my favorite aspect! the traction on the MB's performed very well for me on court. I really had no issues traction wise whatsoever out of the sneakers and they performed very nicely on almost any court condition. On a dusty court there was some wiping, but it was pretty minimal. This is the only reason for a rating of 4 and not 5. I didn't notice any concerns laterally or vertically and was able to start/stop on a dime like I am looking for out of any traction setup. The outsole/traction pattern is nothing to crazy to the look, but does work once again as I said very nicely on court. The setup offers fairly hard grooves that are pretty narrow and do not have a lot of room or space in between. I believe this will help the durability overall and keep these lasting for a good period of time with a lot of play. I liked the traction setup a lot on the MB.01 and I do not think it will be an aspect that gives you any trouble!
Fit: 5
The fit is definitely for me a true to size fit. I now actually have two pairs of this model. the first pair I received as a Christmas present and they were actually bought for me half a size to big. This was the pair I actually tested and they do fit big. I played in them with double socks and they worked just fine. The second pair I received as a birthday gift which was my true size and they fit perfectly. I could probably go down half a size if I really wanted to for a super snug fit, but my overall opinion is to just go true to size and I believe you will be just fine.
Lockdown: 5
The lockdown on the MB.01 worked out very well for me and this was a very nice strongpoint to the shoe. When you get into the shoe there does not feel to be a lot of movement on court from a lockdown standpoint and with the standard lacing system you are able to lace these up to a looseness or tightness of your liking. I really like that they used standard lacing on these and did not go a different route as many have been doing lately. There is a nice, small outrigger to the shoe. It is not super big or wide, but honestly worked near perfect for me on court, and still gave me the non tip over feeling on court without feeling like my feet are super wide. In the mid-foot or forefoot area back to the heel you also have a nice caged section that has a sleek look or design and also helps keep you nice and contained in the shoe as well. The heel area of the shoe also have a nice locked in feel while on court inside the shoe as well. I do not like to have my heel moving around a lot while playing as it usually causes me a lot of blisters, so having my heel locked in is definitely a need I'm looking for from a lockdown standpoint. I really had no issues or concerns, but all positives from a lockdown standpoint.
Cushion: 4
We all know by now normally I prefer a shoe featuring a lot of court feel from a cushion standpoint, but there are times a very nice cushioned feel is great and this is one of those exceptions! The Puma basketball MB.01 features Puma's Nitro Foam midsole. This setup is very comfortable and has quite a bit of cushion on court. The cushion feels very nice on foot and even a shoe that could be worn very nice casually as well. On court though, the cushion is very plush, but at the same time very responsive as well. Normally this much cushion is something I would not typically like just because as I stated before I prefer more court feel, but with this actual setup I enjoy it because of how responsive the shoe worked for me as well with such a plush setup. If you prefer cushion you are going to really like these and more than likely really love these! If your like me and normally prefer more court feel; well.. look at my rating and you will see I think you will like these a ton as well! The cushion on these is very good and something I thoroughly enjoyed!
Materials: 4
There are a few different materials used on the shoe. there are basically several different sections of mixtures of mesh, textiles, and basically knitted material. I did not necessarily have any issues on court from the materials, but I do feel like the shoe maybe could have been made a little lighter than what it was. It is not a super heavy shoe, but also not super light either. Performance wise the materials seemed to breathe well for me on court and have also held up very well for me durability wise as well. I do not feel like either of those aspects will be a concern whatsoever. Overall the materials worked very well, but probably could have been better with some minor adjustments, maybe less materials, or just lighter options. With a rating of 4 out of 5 though don't let me steer you wrong these still worked very well from a materials aspect.
Overall: 5
I do not often give a shoe a perfect score and truthfully when breaking down each aspect I did not give all perfect scores, but these right now are my go-to/favorite shoe to play in. These have officially took the top spot from the KD14. Those have been my go-to for a while now, but I am absolutely loving playing in these MB.01's. These just worked out for me super well basically in all aspects at all times on court. Even with the cushion not being what I normally would prefer or go for, these were just done perfectly for me and how I like to feel on court. If this is a shoe you have been thinking about grabbing to play in or even considered I do not think you will be disappointed and you should definitely give them a try if you have the chance!!
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