With Paul George looking for a season of redemption after his performance in the bubble, the shoe he is expected to wear for the majority of the upcoming season has been leaked.
Upper
PG line looks to have moved on from the “Glove” like upper on the PG 4. Throughout this season, Paul George rarely zipped up the shoe and the bubble saw him revert back to his old shoes rather than the PG 4. A sign that he wasn’t satisfied with his latest shoe. So, the PG 5 has returned to a simple mesh upper with synthetic overlays. The synthetic overlays are positioned on the lateral side of the forefoot for lateral containment.
Midsole Cushion Set-up
Nike is usually reluctant to change the cushion system of a shoe line every year. So, the PG 5 was expected to feature an Air Strobel unit. As expected, the cut-out on the outsole exposes the Air Strobel unit confirming the speculation. The midsole foam is highly likely to be a standard phylon midsole. While on paper, the PG 5 has the exact specifications of the PG 4, there is the possibility of improvements through a thicker Air Strobel unit and softer phylon foam.
Outsole
Earlier this year, there were rumours that the PG 5 would be dedicated to Kobe Bryant, a player whom Paul George idolised. That rumour is confirmed from the outsole pattern on the PG 5. The outsole pattern which is inspired by the bottom of a foot is also found on the iconic Kobe 9.
The PG 4 found success due to its lightness and comfort of the Air Strobel cushioning. The PG 5 looks to build on its success by adding an improved traction pattern and solving the problem of lateral containment which was an issue on the PG 4. Overall, the PG 5 looks to be a solid budget signature shoe.
Source: All images via Instagram/@sneakerhighway23
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