The Nike PG line has always been troublesome for me. I want to like the sneakers, but something always gets in the way. With the PG 3, I never liked the materials; with the PG 4, I never got past the lateral support; and with both of them, I never understood how the sizing was so small. The 5 though, that shoe excited me from the press release. So much so that Dan [editor’s note: hey, that’s me!] graciously went to his local Foot Locker in Australia to try the shoe on for me before it was available in Canada, so that I could custom order a pair from Nike By You.
Traction:
The traction pattern on the PG 5 was super hyped up. The Kobe 9 has one of the best bites of all time, and here it was again on the Paul George line! Could it be an affordable resurrection of the Kobe’s?!
Yes, yes it is — to an extent.
On an indoor surface the shoe sticks to the floor beautifully. Not quite as hard as the Kobe 9 — it is a different rubber compound, after all — but it’s a tremendous sensation. Where that rubber compound fails, though, is the durability category.
The PG 3 was not good when it came to durability. The PG 4 was worse. The PG 5 might be the worst of all time, or at least tied with the Kyrie 7. I honestly would rather not play basketball outside than to play in the PG5. That rubber is so soft and thin that it will be gone in an afternoon, two days if you’re lucky.
Yes, at $145 CDN the PG 5 is inexpensive. However, if you play outdoors you’ll need a new pair every week, and that adds up quickly.
Cushion:
The other aspect that excited me was the cushioning. The PG 4 was silly comfortable, I loved the Air Dot Strobel unit. In fact, because the shoe fit SO tight, I even took out the insole one day and played with my foot directly on top of the Strobel unit — an incredible feeling that I was surprised worked so well.
Sadly, the PG 5 cushion is not quite as good. The PSI in the Air Dot Strobel seems to have been reduced, and as a result the Air unit doesn’t feel quite as responsive. The foam feels a little stiffer than last year as well.
It’s not a disappointment, it’s just not quite as good as last year. It’s still one of the better cushioning setups out there right now — especially for the price.
Fit:
As I mentioned up top, Dan actually went to try these on to let me know they fit true to size. May I stress that we had never met, barely talked, I didn’t ask him to do it — he’s actually just that kind of a guy!
Historically, the PG line fits small. I like to joke that PG is a size 12, but he wants to tell people he’s a size 14, so they made the shoes accordingly. Surprisingly that didn’t happen this year.
The shoe fits perfectly true to size in the length. Nice amount of space in the toe box. Maybe a little narrow through the mid foot, but that’s expected from Nike.
Support:
The support on the shoe is so good and so bad all at once.
Lateral support is perfect. The reinforced synthetics hold you in place exquisitely — it’s a consummate blend of lightweight materials and reinforcement to hold you in place. The only shoe that I’ve played in this year which beats the PG 5 in this department is the Puma Clyde All-Pro — which says a lot, because the Kyrie 7 set the bar extremely high.
The arch support on the other hand, is frankly terrible. This problem won’t happen for everyone, but the PG 5 is flat inside. It breaks in with use, but the first few times I wore them my feet were crying out in pain by the time I was done. The next morning, my feet had seized and I could barely walk. Again, it gets better over time, but these things don’t happen in the Curry 8, Clyde All-Star, Kyrie 7, and the list goes on.
I know the Strobel unit is flat, which presents a design challenge. However, it’s a design challenge that Nike has been bragging about solving in the GT Cut — so I know they could have done something better here.
Materials:
The best thing that can be said about the materials is that they’re functional.
They’re not premium, and they’re not beautiful. What they are is lightweight, breathable and strong. At the end of the day, once you put on the shoes, it’s performance. These materials hold me in place and support me WAY better than the LeBron 18, just as well as the KD13 and even a bit better than the Kyrie 7. Yet it manages to cost $115, $45 and $25 less respectively. I love the idea of paying less and getting more.
In conclusion — I love the PG 5. Dollar for dollar, I think it’s the best shoe Nike makes right now. Do I wish the durability and arch support were a bit better? Absolutely — but if I’m honest, I’m good with it.
The PG 5 outperforms it’s predecessors drastically. It’s one of the few shoes where I recommend paying the extra money for the new model. That being said, you can already pick these up on sale in Canada. Walk into Foot Locker and most colourways are already 25% off. An absolute bargain — just don’t wear them outside.
Thanks for reading!
~ Clinton aka Phoenix, for HS.
Price:
The Nike PG 5 retails for US$110 (CA$145, AU$160)
Weight:
The Nike PG 5 in a men’s size 8 US weighs 308 grams (10.86 ounces) — aka EXTREMELY light
Score:
4/5 — the PG 5 is great. The worst thing I can say about this shoe is that there’s room for improvement.
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