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A pro hooper’s TOP 10 BASKETBALL SHOES for FORWARDS!



A pro hooper’s TOP 10 BASKETBALL SHOES for FORWARDS!

what’s up everybody welcome back to another video today we’re going to talk about the top 10 best basketball shoes for forwards and this is of course the follow-up video to my last video where i talked about the best shoes for guards so make sure to check that out if you haven’t also keep in mind every shoe can be worn for every position it comes more down to what play style you have but that being said let’s get straight into it and start with number 10 it’s going to be the adidas ae1s these were also in the guards video a little spoiler as they work for both positions and they work for both really really well i put the low version for guards here i now have the high version performance is very similar but these have more cushion and this is the main reason why i put them in the forwards video we have a fulllength boost midsole and it’s really really comfortable there’s a lot of compression great impact protection but you are a little bit higher off the ground than with the low version as in the lower version we have light boost the outsole also performs very well i wouldn’t take them outdoors as they are not very durable but the bite itself is very very good and in my opinion they also have a good bite on a dustier cord the support features are also very nice especially here in this high color way the laces really keep you locked in we’ve got an a heel counter it’s not carbon fireway it just looks like it on some colorways and we’ve got the adidas x plate which you can see through the outsole really good torsional support and stability and the materials are actually also kind of nice because they do break in nicely and they’re not as stiff as they look the one big downside to them is that they are very very heavy but a plus is the relatively low retail price now moving on to number nine on the list it’s the puma allp pro nitro elite and it really is a very good performer but €250 or dollars is just way too much in my personal opinion we have a solid rubber outsole here as you can see it provides a really really good bite very aggressive as well i didn’t have any issues on dustier cord which is always kind of a problem for puma they really have a good bite and in my opinion they’re even durable enough for outdoors it’s really a harder rubber compound but the question is do you want to take a $250 or shoe outdoors that’s up to you what makes these a standout shoe and the main reason why they’re on this list is the drop in midsole we’ve got a fulllength nitrofoam drop in midsole let me take that out for you real quick here you go it is really damn comfortable and you have a carbon fiber plate here also integrated into the drop in as i said extremely comfortable probably the softest dropin i’ve tried apart from the 8085 ultra but i got these first these released way earlier than the 8085 ultra so that’s really those two have the best and most comfortable drop-in midsoles if you’re looking for impact protection you can’t even compare it with a kobe midsole something i get asked a lot is if you can fit those in kobe’s i wouldn’t do that just because the stack height here is just way higher than on kobe’s and you wouldn’t have good lockdown anymore speaking of lockdown it’s actually also pretty good here one thing i had an issue with was this little heel counter right here and also here on the top is very stiff and on hard lateral movements or cuts it would sometimes cut into my ankle area so just maybe try them on in the store if you can the fit is actually nice for wide feet surprisingly for a dropping shoe very very comfortable the materials are also kind of meh for such an expensive shoe it’s all synthetic and pretty stiff at first they do take some time to break in and unfortunately these are also kind of heavy now at number eight we’ve got the kd7 or the kd18 those two are essentially the same basketball shoe just the design is a little different so you can just pick whichever pair you like the looks of better they have the the exact same outsole so you and there’s not really a difference between translucent and solid rubber only thing i would do is if you play outdoors get the solid rubber but apart from that the bite itself is actually really really good very aggressive also solid on dusty cords and in my opinion indoors the translucent insole grips a little bit better of course on the kd 18 i’ve only tried a colorway with a solid rubber outsole but as it’s the exact same outsole as on the 17 they will also perform the same and they just do that the cushioning setup is also the same it’s kind of a copy and paste job from nike here in those two good impact protection in the heel we have an air stroble in the heel in my if i’m not mistaken yeah it’s air strobble and a zoom unit in the forefoot really really comfortable great impact protection but of course also a little bit higher off the ground so maybe for everyone of you that’s like a bigger forward very physical that needs that amount of impact protection the support features are also the same it’s decent not the best but also not the worst i’d say right in the middle of like you’re still supportive you’re still locked in but it’s nothing like where you feel like your foot can move anymore or something like that where you’re really really locked in in the shoe there’s some other options for that and the materials of course that’s the biggest difference as you can see here it’s more of a synthetic fuse material and here we have some mesh accents as well you can just try them on in store in my opinion both are actually comfortable these are broken in a little bit quicker these take some time they’re very comfortable on foot so if you’re someone who looks for comfort these are a great option retail price is also decent of course you can get the 17 on sale and in general if you’re wondering where you can cop all these shoes there will be affiliate links and codes to free websites/stores in the description box down below for one my partner store kicks has almost every shoe i’m talking about here in this video you can use the code lucas for a discount or just use the affiliate link down below for the way of weight pairs that are in the video i have an affiliate link for way of weight as well for the official website and you can use the code lucas simon 10 and if you can’t find any specific colorway or shoe for retail you can always hop over to stockx and use my affiliate code and you can also get them there they also have a lot of shoes below retail so always make sure to check them out before you cop and of course using those links helps me a lot so i really appreciate it now at number it seven the two-way volume 5 from new balance i really really like the shoe and i only recently started playing with them but they’re extremely comfortable the cushioning setup really is very nice especially in the heel you get a good amount of compression the forefoot is a little bit lower to the ground which is exactly how i like it just how my favorite shoe has it the book one and as i said just a very nice feeling overall you’re also not too high off the ground even though it looks a little bit higher off the ground especially in the heel there’s just such a thick foam of a thick slab of fresh foam is what they they call it the traction performance is actually also very good i have to say i’ve only played with these outdoors but if they perform well on outdoor cords usually they’re also good on at least clean indoor courts i can say how they are on dusty cords maybe some of you can help people out if they want to cop that pair the materials are very thin and soft they break in very nicely they’re adequately padded but in the forward there’s really just a very thin layer of material there and the support features are also very good of course we’ve got a very prominent heel counter and as you can see if you try to flex them they’re also very stiff which i like a lot which just means that the shoe has good torsional support retail price is also at a very decent range and of course you can also find these on sale as they’ve been out for a while already especially older colorways like this one this is one of the first to release now at number six we move to yet another brand this is from 361 and this is the joker 1 gt of course you can also use the regular joker or the se version but in my opinion this particular model is the best for gors they’re a little bit more expensive but what makes them so good is they have exceptional traction performance here you can see it’s a translucent outsole and it really grips the floor like crazy it’s a very aggressive bite they also have a really really loud squeak and they do work indoors perfectly i’m not sure about outdoors as especially on the translucent outsoles the rubber compound is very thin and you can see some parts already like like being i don’t know like moved off here a little bit i don’t know if you can see that on the camera that well here you can see some parts sticking off or just like from too much friction with the cord getting moved off there what i like most about them is the insanely nice and bouncy cushioning setup and that’s also the reason why i think these are awesome for forwards great impact protection throughout and you’re still not very high off the ground and they are also very very supportive for the materials we have synthetic leather materials all on the shoe they are nice and they also break in quickly but just give them a little bit of time as you can see here i haven’t played as much in this colorway as they’re not my true size they’re a bit too small they are still relatively stiff but if you play with them more they will get broken in the heel area is also nicely padded it’s also a nice and comfortable shoe now for number five we have the adidas harden volume 9 i just like these a little bit more than the joker 1 gt these i mentioned before that the kds are not the most supportive shoes these on the other hand are extremely supportive so if you’re looking for a really supportive shoe with great lock and also allound features that are good the harden 9 is probably the best option retail price is 160 which is also decent in my opinion and there’s probably some colorways on sale or you can also go for the harden 8 they also have great performance and they’re very similar to these for traction as you can see here we’ve got a dual layer or actually three kind of different patterns a circular one here then here in the middle it’s kind of like a herring bone on outside it’s bigger circles again but not in combination like right here and of course we have the adidas logo here in the heel what i noticed on the eights already and that’s still consistent here on the nines is that this part picks up a lot of dust so if you’re a heel dominant player maybe not the best shoe but if you’re more on your forefoot they are actually pretty good they also don’t pick up as much dust as the eights do and the bite itself is very very good it’s very aggressive and as i said doesn’t pick up as much dust anymore so you’re not going to be sliding around on dusty cords like it was the case with the seven and sometimes with the eight the cushioning setup is also very nice we’ve got boost and light strike pretty much the same as we’ve had on the last two harden models good impact protection in the heel relatively low to the ground in the forefoot mentioned the support features already one thing you have to keep an eye out is the creases i know it sounds weird on basketball shoes i don’t care about it at all i know a lot of you will especially in this area here the materials just crease like crazy especially on this colorway on some others it’s a little bit better but here if i move them they really crease up like crazy so if you don’t like that maybe stay away from these just to get a round up on the support features we’ve got a heel cuter we’ve also gotten a mid-foot plate in the like right around from here to here and the lacing system also works very well and because the materials are kind of stiff they also really keep your foot in place the fit for wide feet is not the best but you really have to break them in give them some time at first i didn’t like it but then i just kept playing with them because i love the design of the shoe and it got better and they actually fit me quite well now for point number four this might come as a surprise a shoe from puma again i actually like these more than the open elite for a few simple reasons they’re lighter they don’t feel as clunky on foot the big thing about these is you have to get a pair with a translucent outsole especially if you’re playing indoors outdoors it doesn’t matter but indoors if your pair has a solid rubber outsole you’re going to be sliding around if you’ve got a translucent outsole you’ll have very very good grip and a very aggressive bite on a cleaner cord and also solid grip on a dusty cord what i like most about them is the cushioning setup it’s extremely comfortable throughout the whole shoe in general this shoe is one of the most comfortable shoes i’ve ever played in the materials are crazy soft they conform to your feet so well i haven’t played as much in this color way yet but if you play with them three four or five times the materials will get so nice and soft and the cushioning just adds such a cloudy feeling it’s really like a cloud is hugging around your whole foot while playing they’re not the most breathable it kind of gets a little bit hot in there so maybe not the best for summer but for indoor basketball really an amazing option and the support features are also good so i can highly recommend the all pro nitro just get a pair with a solid rubber outsole this colorway if you’re wondering is from my partner store kicks they got their own colorway which is pretty cool so you can definitely go for those they made sure to get the translucent outsole on there now for the top three i have the way of weight 11 at number three also a really comfortable shoe with a lot of cushioning especially in the heel the forefoot is a little bit lower to the ground what makes them special for the cushioning setup is we have a carbon core system which means we’ve have a slab of boom cushioning a carbon fiber plate and then another slab of boom cushioning they’re not as bouncy as you wear with 10 wear but they are more comfortable and have better input protection for the traction pattern we have an incredibly unique pattern as you can see here on the outsole and it also works very well at first i was very skeptical if you’re going to work outdoors they actually do and they have an amazing bite indoors if it’s dusty they pick up a lot of dust so you have to wipe and they also have an extremely loud squeak which of course has nothing to do with traction performance but if you’re someone who likes that these will be an awesome option they’re also one of the most supportive shoes on the market we’ve got a huge heel counter i mentioned the carbon fiber midfoot shank plate already and the lacing system really keeps you locked in plus you have a really wide base as you can see an outrigger here and i’m saying a wide base you might think these are great for wide footers if your foot is wide in the toe area yes they are awesome here you’ve got a lot of space if your foot is wide in the midfoot these will take a lot of time to break in it’s going to be painful as the material is moving in over the top of your foot unfortunately just keep an eye out for that and there’s also for the materials different colorways with different materials like we’ve seen for a lot of wave shoes these are more breathable so i would definitely recommend one like these for summer basketball and now for the top two we have another new brand serious player only the easy one i absolutely love this basketball shoe it’s using synthetic leather materials on this colorway and what makes these special is that you’ve got an offc court insole that you can put in there then we have an oncourt insole and then we also have another drop in like midsole kind of and we still have some cushioning here in the regular midsole it’s really an amazing setup and very unique i really enjoy it the encord midsole has more support as you can see here especially in the midfoot and the offcourt one is just a regular orphalite insole cushioning setup very very comfortable also very bouncy and the traction performance is also really really nice it’s a polyurethane setup similar to gcu setup on the wave wave 11 and it bites very well this is also durable enough for outdoors even though it doesn’t look very durable it works and overall just a really really nice shoe also a little bit more expensive but that’s okay in my opinion the performance is definitely worth it i mentioned the materials already and you also have great support features in the insole you can see that there’s a carbon fiber mid-foot shank plate of course we’ve got a heel counter and the lacing system also works well just here by doing this test as you can see they flex in the forefoot and of course you get some more support by putting the encord midsole in there and now for the number one on this list it’s the way of weight 10 i was debating about putting them in the video as they released a while ago but as waveweight still keeps releasing new colorways i thought why not they’re just the best basketball shoe i’ve tried alongside the kobe 6 the book one the harden 7 those were just perfect for my feet as well but simply for on performance these are the best option they’re also a little bit more expensive but they don’t really have a flaw they can be used indoors and outdoors the traction performance is very very good here it’s a more traditional herring bone type setup clean cords outdoor dusty cords they work cushioning setup full length boom very comfortable good impact protection still not too high off the ground which is always important and what makes these so special is you could see it already before the fulllength carbon fiber mid-foot shank plate they are insanely bouncy very hard to flex as you can see i’m really using a lot of force and i can’t really flex them that well and as i said if you’re dunking if you’re jumping a lot these will help they can definitely give you a couple of extra inches to your jump and the support of course is also very good good tortional support especially lacing system works well materials are a highlight very thin breathable soft confirm to your feet decent fit for wide feet maybe go up half a size maybe you can try them on somewhere in store around you and in my opinion this is one of the best basketball shoes of all time so they are deservingly the number one on that list with that being said that’s all i have for you today there will be another video for centers so don’t worry if you’re a bigger guy there’s going to be more options that will be uploaded in one week from the time that this was uploaded have a good one see you next time leave a like subscribe that’s it for today

Hey everyone! Here’s a look at my current top 10 basketball shoes for forwards. As I said in the video, every shoe can be worn for every position so these are just suggestions from my side.

Let me know if I missed any pairs 🙂

Subscribe to my channel if you don’t want to miss any further performance reviews by a pro player: https://www.youtube.com/@ls_hoops?sub_confirmation=1

I currently play in the second league in Austria for the team “Wörthersee Piraten”. I´ve also played in 9 games for the Austrian Men’s national team as well as multiple tournaments for the under 23 3×3 national team.

Go follow me on Instagram & TikTok as well if you’re interested in daily updates on which shoes I wear for practice and how my games go!

If you want to cop the BOOK 1 or any other basketball shoe/basketball gear just head over to KICKZ and use the code LUKAS for a 5% discount:

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Cop every shoe on StockX:

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20 Comments

  1. bro what do u think of the weight and impact protection of ae1 compared to wow10s, I'm contemplating which one to get, i want wow10s at first but the ae1 is so pretty i love how it looks so much.. which one should i get?😭

  2. 6:22 I’ve heard they have a similar compound to the Hesi Low V2 which I can say are amazing on dust. Also I wonder if you got to cop the 2E version of these New Balance shoes since they’re so nice in general

  3. Fun fact for the Puma Nitro Elites! The drop in fits very nicely in SPO Shoes, and visa versa! So my current favourite shoe it the SPO Player 1 with the nitro elite drop in! Wonderful for a forward that has to take the perimeter often, or plays p.defense

  4. as someone who got the aeă mid, be aware that it's bad for high arch feet, the sew between the tongue and the toe can dig into your feet like crazy

  5. What would you recommend for a 3 and D PG. I play with 2 wxy v5 2E width (2E shoes are must for me, I have wide toebox need to half size up if not 2e, but i have problem with the added space, not used to have longer shoes)

  6. Idk how u like the kd17 or 18,the bottom of my foot was all red cause of the shank on the top with no cushion on top only the thin insole,the bottom of my foot even after like 2 wks of wearing them was killing and was even black n blue so i returned both of them they suck

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