Hyperdunk 2016

On release, Nike had a lot of pressure to deliver on this hyperdunk shoe after the very disappointing hyperdunk 2015, so the 2016 was highly anticipated. In this review we are going to discover if the hyperdunk 2016 lived up to the expectations.

Traction

On the hyperdunk 2016 nike decided on using a blade traction pattern like the Kyrie 2 but the hyperdunks have more blades for more durability and less slipping. When I tested this shoe I was very happy with the stopping power of the evolved Kyrie 2 traction pattern. However, this shoe is definitely not an outdoor basketball shoe. This is because the open zoom windows could easily be popped by a loose stone or a piece of glass therefore stick to indoor basketball courts for this shoe! Because of this I would rate the traction 8/10.

Cushion

On the hyperdunk 2016 there was a full zoom unit and this resulted in quite a lot of response being felt. One query I did have for the hyperdunk’s cushion before I tested it  was that because the zoom was embedded in a thick phylon midsole there wouldn’t be much response in the cushioning. But there was a lot of impact protection, response and bounce. Also there was no pause waiting for the zoom to respond and recover. Because of all these good things I would rate the cushioning of the hyperdunk 2016 10/10!!!

Support 

Despite the high(ish) ankle collar this shoe is not a boot. This is because there is not much support in the higher parts of the collar. There is not much reason for it being there except from making it harder to put the  hyperdunk 2016 on and take it off. However, other than the issue of the top half of the ankle collar the rest of the support is suitable for most basketball players who aren’t doing to many crazy hard cuts or jabs. Therefore I would rate the support of the hyperdunk 2016 6/10.

Overall

This shoe is nothing amazingly special or showcasing any new Nike technology but has the right tools for the average basketball player to play in. The cushioning is almost perfect, the traction works and the support is okay. Therefore I think that Nike did meet the expectations that the the 2015 brought and it does make up for the last year’s flop. Because of this I would rate the Hyperdunk 2016 overall 7/10.