Nike KD Trey 5 III
Nike KD Trey 5 III Performance Review:
<< CUSHIONING >> 6.5 / 10
The setup is sitting your foot a little higher than most guard shoes but not so high to a point where you would lose a whole lot of court feel where affecting your performance. Yes, there is only a small Zoom Air unit at the forefoot but I did feel it there as I am running, jumping and landing. But just could not feel it there as much as other Zoom Air model, comparatively speaking. Hey, after all, this is a budget model shoe > "small" Zoom Air unit is expected. =_= The phylon cushion is on the hard side but in my experience playing in them, not so hard to a point where it hurts my feet after playing.
<< TRACTION >> 8 / 10
Above average. On a mildly dusty court, I didn't experience any slipping at all while playing in these. But I did see some dust sticking to the middle near the shank portion at the bottom (where the KD logo is located). The traction pattern and rubber on these are definitely good for outdoor!
<< FIT & SUPPORT >> 8.5 / 10
A prefect fit to my feet shape with awesome support (fair to say, everyone has a slightly different feet shape though).
<< MATERIALS >> 7.5 / 10
The material is somewhat on the stiff side. The entire upper of the shoe is made out of Nike's hyperfuse material. Unfortunately, the hyperfuse material they used here is not the soft and flexible type that you would find on the Kobe 9, 10 & 11.
This shoe need a slightly longer break in time to get the material feel entirely comfortable. I did feel the stiffness of the material for the first 20 minutes running and shooting in them then it started to feel better and better afterward. And never feel the material cutting into my feet after broken in.
Once the material is broken in, the sturdy structure of the setup actually provides really good overall support for the entire feet. My feet feel like they are structurally protected, guess there is a reason the material is made that way.
<< DURABILITY >> 9 / 10
A+
All the materials on this shoe, from the bottom outsole to the upper, including the laces; they are very firm & sturdy. Especially, the outsole rubber is very rigid, definitely would not have any issue with playing this outdoor.
<< AESTHETICS >> 8 / 10
Dope (In my opinion).
<< VENTILATION >> 7 / 10
Not that great. But not the worse one I ever wore neither, I would say still better than an pair of old school genuine leather shoes. And I have a pair of D Rose 5 Boost "Christmas 2014 edition" (grey textile texture) with no ventilation at all, wearing that shoe feels x2 as hot than this pair. The slits near the toe area are actually sealed, those slits are not for ventilation; they are cut-outs are for better toe and forefoot movements.
OVERALL SCORE: 7.5/10