Nike KD 10 REVIEW: Looks Suspicious…

So after a PHENOMENAL KD 9 and a solid KD 9 Elite, it really is hard to make improvements over already great performing shoes, The 10 looks very similar and the tech offered is also almost the same. That gave me some worries but nonetheless, here’s a Nike KD 10 review. You’ll find out if it’s worth it over the 9.

I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, the fit, performance, the upper and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s start the Nike KD 10 review!

SPEC SHEET

WEIGHT: 342 g. /12.06 oz

TYPE: LOW TOP

TECH: PHYLON & ZOOM AIR, FLYKNIT

FIT: HALF A SIZE DOWN

COLORWAYS: 2+

MY RATING: 7.5/10

THE TECH

PHYLON & ZOOM AIR

The same cushion setup as last year’s – a Phylon midsole and that sweeeet full-length ZOOM AIR. It does feel slightly different, so stay tuned for that in the Performance section.

FLYKNIT

Flyknit is present in the shoe’s upper like the last one, however, this setup of Flyknit is leveraged differently and probably not for the better. You’ll see.

FIT

NO MORE SUPER NARROW KD BULLSH*T

Yeah, right off the bat, the main fit difference is the KD 10 doesn’t fit super narrow or long anymore. You can let go of that annoying narrow foot-focused fit the KD 9 had. This one is actually quite roomy and just like most people, I too would recommend regular/narrow footers to go down half a size. Wide footers (such as myself) should go true to size, which is awesome and doesn’t hinder the shoe’s performance.

This one is actually quite roomy and just like most people, I too would recommend regular/narrow footers to go down half a size. Wide footers (such as myself) should go true to size, which is awesome and doesn’t hinder the shoe’s performance.

The soft heel padding is back, Flyknit is back, the mobility is back and the addicting cushion is back. In result, the KD 10 is just as comfy as the KD 9 to play in. I did not experience any slippage, pain, dead space or anything like that. Fits like a glove, well not really, but close.

PERFORMANCE

CUSHION

So we got the same setup, it feels exactly the same, right? Wrong. There are speculations that they adjusted the setup to prevent the famous ZOOM bag popping problem (which I never had) but I don’t really care. What I care is how they feel on the court.

And at first, I was a bit skeptical since the cushion felt a bit firm and something you’d find in $100 budget Phylon model from Nikey. After a good bit though, there were awesome. AWESOME. Just like the KD 9, responsive, comfortable, soft, bouncy and just super fun to play in. Plenty of impact protection, you still get some court feel in the forefoot and the whole setup just feels so well-balanced.

What’s cool is I’d actually prefer this setup over the KD 9’s simple because these feel even more versatile. It’s the perfect cushion setup for almost everyone, as I felt more response from this one but the super bouncy heel and midfoot didn’t go anywhere.

TRACTION

Pretty good. Many reviewers have been reporting inconsistency of the traction pattern. For me, it wasn’t really that bad, the shoe was just really sensitive to dust. On a clean floor, I played once, and it was great. Not phenomenal, but great.

On the more dusty court I usually play on, they were okay. Without wiping, this would have been pretty bad but like with everything in life, you take care of it, it will take care of you. So prepare to wipe them frequently and they’ll be fine.

Outdoors? No. Just no. This is one of weakest rubber compounds I’ve seen lately and staying indoors with these is your best option.

SUPPORT

The one aspect that was a let down for me. I don’t know, I just didn’t feel confident and lightning-fast like I usually do in proper hoop shoes. This obviously depends on your playstyle and position but as I an explosive medium-weight guard, I didn’t like the containment on these.

The heel lockdown was good, the forefoot felt stable. But the ankle collar is just pure Flyknit and the midfoot area barely held my foot. You know that feeling when you see an open lane you’re about to do a ferocious drive to the basket but kinda feel hesitant because of the shoe? I felt that in these and it’s a VERY bad thing.

You take a Rose 7, for example. Those things support you like tanks because it’s built for a tank. These are more focused on mobility and freedom but even that isn’t that well-made because of the lack of containment in the midfoot.

UPPER

FLYKNIT & TPU – BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE?

No. The upper is Flyknit coated in TPU (identical feel to the Kobe 11) which isn’t your “amazingly premium knit feel”. It’s more structured, the TPU reinforcements kinda take away the benefits of Flyknit. It’s not a breathable and not as soft for your foot.

There are upsides though. They definitely are more durable than the 9 and the fit isn’t as narrow now mainly because of the different upper construction.

Overall, I liked it but didn’t love it as much as on the KD 9.

OVERALL

BEST FOR ANY POSITION THAT DOESN’T RELY ON EXPLOSIVENESS, SPEED & ATHLETICISM

The Nike KD 10 provides one of the best cushion setups, it is comfortable and gives good traction if you keep it clean. There are some support problems but if you can get past them, I’d look at this shoe as a solid performer. For the right player.