With Russell Westbrook coming back to his hometown in hopes of bringing the city its 18th championship, the shoe he’ll be wearing for this championship run has been leaked. Whilst a single image is available, we were able to speculate the tech specs of Why Not 0.5s.
Upper
It looks like the designers were looking to reduce weight of the upper through the use of thinner and lighter materials. However, in order to compensate for the thinner materials, more bulk has been added to contain Westbrook’s explosive playstyle. The toe area features synthetic leather overlays on top of fuse overlays for protection. Around the forefoot area, lace loops go down the side of the shoe to support the mesh upper. Around the heel, an external heel counter and a separate sockliner works together to prevent heel slippage.
Midsole
Design-wise the phylon midsole construction is similar to the Why Not 0.3. Rigid shapes wrap along the side of the shoe for extra containment. Similar to its recent predecessors, the Why Not 0.5 is expected to feature double stacked Air Zoom units in the forefoot.
Outsole
Whilst a clear image of the outsole isn’t available, it looks like the Why Not 0.5 will feature multi-direction nubs similar to the Why Not 0.4.
SNEAKER SPECULATION 