Fellow old hooper and size 13 wearer here. I bought the EP version of the Hustle 2 and have been playing in them consistently. This pair and the SPO Player 1 plus have been my most worn bball shoes of 2024. I agree with your accessment that this shoe needs a torsion plate and for the retail price, we shouldn't have to buy a separate insole...that being said though, I recently put in a pair of Move Game Day Pro insoles and now this shoe is by far the best performing shoe I've worn in recent memory. I've used the insoles in other shoes but it's wild to me how much better THIS shoe performs with that extra bit of rigidity in the midfoot. Foot fatigue after play has decreased too. BTW, the Hustle 3 releases next month and they didn't add a torsion plate AND they increased the price to $190 (for the launch colorway at least).

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your commentary! With the 3 coming out, I hope the hustle 2 gets even cheaper! I thought they were ridiculously comfortable. I’m just being a grumpy old man haha! 🙃

Love these reviews for us older hoopers. You got me to retry the KD16 and really enjoying them so far. I thought I needed more cushioning so I went with the Jump 2 the first time I tried the 16s, but later realized I can get good impact protection without all that. I will say, I still refuse to play with shoes that are lower to the ground because I hate the feeling of a shoe bottoming out.

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your support! It’s my pleasure helping us older hoopers. The KD16 are wonderful right? The jump 2 seem way too bulky and clunky for me. Did you experience that as well?

@jrdatrackstar

2 ай бұрын

@@OldManSneakerReview I loved the Jump 2, and while they were bulkier, they get smoother post break-in. For me, the Lebron 21 offers about 90% of the impact protection in a less bulky low top form (again, not that it was a problem before but why not lol). Also, while I don’t remember having a problem with traction, the 21s are way better. Enter the 16s and I took the same mentality toward trying them again (if a shoe offers 85-90% of the impact protection of the Jump 2 try it out). Unfortunately the 16s are starting to feel a little lower to the ground in the forefoot than I am usually comfortable with but I will continue playing with them during the Nike 60 return window and see how my body feels.

Hey bro have you ever considered that these shoes might have been designed for players who don't want a shank plate? Some players prefer playing without one.

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

Perhaps but scientifically speaking, to protect the plantar, a shank should be present in a high impact zone like the foot in basketball.

@hassanabdaladl

2 ай бұрын

Not in all cases, actually. There are scenarios where a shank plate can actually injure the foot/cause types of tendonitis, due to the stiffness of the shoe. Further, some people don't like the feeling of the shank plate under the cushion, especially when the cushion starts to bottom out. More specifically for people with low arches/flat feet . A shank plate can really hurt

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

Great information! Thank you for contributing to our old man hooper guide!

@hoopershoes

2 ай бұрын

I agree I think that is the main reason lots of players like these

@uploadmeful

Ай бұрын

Same, I hate stiff shoes.

The bounce and court feel of this shoe reminds me so much of hyperrev and Jordan 31(?)

Saw this on 60% along with the Jordan 38 high on 50%. I settled on the 38s. It just felt better

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

Wow that is a deal! I tried the Jordan 38, but it was too narrow for my foot so I decided to not review it as the fitment would cloud my judgement! I am happy that you found something that worked for you!

Love the color!

Every player is different in terms of what they need for their playing style and so on. I have had the GT Hustle 2 but i felt it was unstable. Maybe i do not have enough weight to get them going or whatever. But in my opinion these shoes do not work for players that have issues with their ankles, maybe a chronic ankle instability or a tendency for roling the ankle. The shoes are way too soft and too rounded on the outsides of the outsole to restrict players from roling their ankles. These shoes look awesome and i really hated to send them back. But i had to for the sake of the health of my ligaments and bones.

@OldManSneakerReview

2 ай бұрын

I’m not as shifty as you! Keep hooping! What is your sneaker of choice brother?

@Chris-zn1qg

2 ай бұрын

@@OldManSneakerReview Right now the Sabrina 1 and WOW All City 11. I tried several shoes - Lebron NXXT Gen, New Balance Two WXY V4, Puma All Pro Nitro, Puma Clyde All Pro, Adias Son of Chi 3 - but Sabrina 1 was the best feeling when first putting them on and they performed extremely good. Like i said, every player might need something different. By the way: great video!