Photo by Albi Quito (2021)
Hello everyone, I am back with another performance review on KICKZ.com! This time, I am taking a look at Paul GEORGE’s latest shoe. As the name suggests, the PG 5 is Nike’s fifth sneaker of this signature line already. Is this turning out to slowly become a real fan favorite? Let’s see what kind of upgrades the sports giant from Oregon has in store for this one.
Let’s start it off with the weight as this aspect made itself noticeable right from the get-go. The PG 5 is one of the lightest shoes I have ever played in. At 329 g they check in at #3 in my all-time lightest shoe ranking 🥉📊 and they just really feel sensationally light on foot. Apart from that, they have a solid looking low top silhouette and a good number of color variations that should cover most tastes. Personally, I decided to go with the “LA Drip”, as I was really digging the purplish/bluish base with its nicely picked out accent colors. Looking good 🔥.
Materials
You will not find the nicest materials on this one but I think it’s quite fair, given the price point these are sold for. Just don’t expect too much or anything premium but rest assured that these will come with a solid mesh upper, that should not wear out too fast or even leave you with holes or other wear and tear after just a few sessions. Performance wise, these will get the job done. No doubt about that. Additionally, the materials are light, move well with you and only require minimum break-in time. Overall, the setup definitely works but is pretty basic and does not necessarily have the nicest touch.
Traction
The traction was definitely my personal highlight of this shoe. It might even be a little bit of a Kobe BRYANT homage 👑, as this uses a very similar pattern to what we got on the Nike Kobe IX. Those had beastly traction by the way and so do these. Nike equipped the PG 5 with great grip and bite, that allows stopping and accelerating without any problems, lags or slipping. Really no compromises here as this aspect of the shoe really felt top tier. The only drop of bitterness that I could find was durability. I would not recommend taking these on the blacktop as I just don’t see the outsole holding up for too long. When it comes to that, there are better outdoor options in terms of longevity.
According to Nike’s spec sheet, full-length Nike Air Dot Weld Strobel cushioning is used in this one. In short: full-length Air Strobel. Thinking back, that sounds very familiar to what the PG 4 had in place. This time however, it is not quite as soft but feels a bit lower to the ground and provides better court feel than its predecessor, which I actually really liked. Impact protection is pretty solid as well, despite this firmer iteration of the Air Strobel. Overall, the cushioning setup is pretty solid and will especially work for those players that have a preference for court feel over too much compression.
Fit
It seems to be an ongoing theme with PGs as these once again are a bit narrow. I had my dad, who wears half a size smaller than me, try them on as well and even the OG thought they were somewhat snug. Nonetheless, I still went true to size as I rather have a snug fit than a sloppy and loose one. Sure, I had to give them a bit of time to break in but once the mesh stretched out a bit and found its sweet spot, the PG 5s actually felt really comfortable. However, if you have a wide foot, going up half a size is highly recommended, maybe even mandatory. Overall, the fit was quite good, held my foot in position quite well and I did not experience any kind of slippage. So just get through that break-in time and you are good to go.
Support
Lockdown was really good, as mentioned above. There were no signs of slippage or lateral movements. My feet stayed planted onto the footbed at all times on any movements, which gave me a good sense of security. Stability was not an issue as well. The PG 5 has a wide base and an outrigger that has you covered on lateral movements. If you are looking for ankle support, feedback or restrictions though, these will not offer that as the top barely reaches the ankle area. They provide good ankle mobility for those who like a bit more freedom though. Overall, support was solid.
I really liked them. Although there was nothing too crazy about the Nike PG 5s that made me reconsider my current shoe rotation, I actually really liked them. These definitely can hold their own and make themselves a very competitive option at about EUR 120,- in the highly competitive mid-range price segment. In terms of pricing, these come in at a lower cost than many other signature shoes but actually offer better traction than most mid tier basketball sneakers do. Add solid cushioning and the super lightweight build to that equation and you get some really good value for your money 💰.
Feedback
How did you like the PG 5? Shoot me a comment on Instagram or Twitter at @ONEtothe2.