adidas Pro Bounce Madness 2019 REVIEW – So Darn Close!
adidas N3XT L3V3L + adidas Dame 5 = adidas Pro Bounce Madness 2019, and here its performance review. Let’s get it!
MAIN SPECS
WEIGHT: 379.8 g. / 13.4 oz
TECH: BOUNCE
TYPE: LOW-TOP
COLORWAYS: 5+
FIT: HALF A SIZE DOWN
RETAIL PRICE: $110
BD RATING: 7.8/10
BEST PLACE TO BUY: ADIDAS.COM
PERFORMANCE
MATERIALS
Kicking things off, the adidas Pro Bounce Madness 2019 is utilizing a full-length textile mesh upper, and like similar ones in the budget-friendly segment, it doesn‘t feel premium in-hand but gets the job done on the hardwood.
Looking at the toe box area, there you do have a tighter mesh than used on the rest of the upper, which wraps around on the medial panel as well. While moving up on the lateral side, especially in the midfoot portion, you have this looser version of mesh that‘s been backed by some sort of other textile material to give it a bit of extra structure.
Despite it feeling quite cheap, I actually did really like how adidas was able to implement the materials by squeezing out the best possible outcome. It does give you the containment & comfort where you need it. Whereas in the toe box area, even though it is a tighter mesh, that section still maintains its free-flowingness.
CUSHION
As the name of the shoe states, these do feature a full-length BOUNCE cushioning which is well known for always getting the job done, and the Pro Bounce Madness, thankfully, was no exception.
So in the forefoot area, you‘re getting a firmer/low to the ground version of BOUNCE with that nice amount of pep in your step type of responsiveness. It‘s not quite on the same level as full-length Zoom Air but, personally, this is the nicest pep in your step performance you can get from a foam.
Now in the heel portion of the midsole, surprise surprise, BOUNCE gets thicker to offer more than adequate amount of impact protection, which is nicely combined with the same amount of bounciness. One thing worth mentioning is that compression in the heel isn‘t quite balanced in this particular model – it‘s firmer in the center, but more pliable on the sides. Luckily, it was that healthy imbalance that didn‘t make you feel wobbly while in motion. Overall, I did enjoy this tooling as pretty much all of the rest of Bounce set-ups – it‘s lightweight, fast & well-balanced for any type of play style or player to enjoy.
TRACTION
No surprise, as pretty much all of the latest performers from adidas hoop lineup, these guys are featuring a herringbone traction pattern. For the most part, it‘s a traditional take on the most trustworthy pattern, though, you can spot quite a few design cues taken from other recent models, like the adidas N3xt L3v3l, Dame 5 and Crazy Light 2018. It‘s quite a chaos out there which, sadly enough, translates onto the court.
On clean/cleaner courts you shouldn‘t have any problems, well, maybe few minor slip-ups here and there, that was the case for me. However, it goes 0 to 100 real quick (in a bad way) once you take them on those dusty/semi-dusty courts. The bottoms of the Pro Bounce Madness combines really tight grooves that are like hotels for the dust to stay with already a weaker pattern performance-wise (saying this about herringbone makes my stop for a second) to make up for a stupidly inconsistent ride. One second you‘re gripping nicely, the following one you‘re slipping “nicely” – pretty much my whole experience in a nutshell. Even consistent wiping, which is a must in these, didn‘t help me obtain more than average performance.
The only bright side of the traction is the rubber compound with pretty deep grooves that seems to be ready to hold its fair share on outdoor courts.
FIT
Adidas is back at it again with its famous “guess how that shoe fits” game that comes with every pair as a free gift. This time around, the PBM 19’ do run half a size big. Yep, that‘s right… Wide footers start popping them champagne bottles, it‘s your time. Now in all seriousness, if you‘re a regular/slight wide footer, just go down half a size from whatever your true size is. As for true wide footers, you already know, true to size that is.
While most of the shoe did form-fit my foot quite nicely with minimal to none break-in time, there still was one area that I had a slight issue with. That has to do with excessive material in the toe box, so once I tighten up the laces, the toe portion would simply bubble up, creating that extra space between my foot and upper itself. It doesn‘t hinder shoe‘s overall support or containment aspects. It’s just something that I‘m not a fan of. Other than that, the PMB 19‘ was all about that all-around experience that contains lightweight feel, support/containment, breathability & dynamic fit (apart from the toe box).
SUPPORT
It‘s your typical set-up in which every single aspect does its own part to create solid overall support – no more, no less.
The great heel mold in pair with some heavy achilles pillows inside was making sure my heel stayed locked-in and comfy at the same time. I actually did have a slight heel slippage with my first run in them, but that went away after playing around with the laces & giving them some time to break-in. After an hour or so, that issue was a history.
The support in the forefoot area was nothing short than awesome; I didn‘t receive any side-to-side movement or tippiness on to the footbed thanks to the rigid TPU wall that overlays onto the upper for that extra lateral containment. Also, the midsole does heavily protrude to the sides to create a really wide platform, so stability wasn‘t an issue in these as well.
OVERALL
Due to the lackluster performance in the traction department, I can‘t really recommend the Pro Bounce Madness 2019 to most of the players, with a few exceptions. If you‘re a spot-up shooter who doesn‘t do some explosive, fast movements – grab them. Maybe looking for your next outdoor beater? Grab them. For everyone else who still want to represent the three stripes, the Harden Vol.3 is the way to go. Check its performance review HERE.
