The adidas Harden Vol 3 performance review is here and its one of the best basketball shoes of 2018.

Herringbone. Herringbone everywhere! My only complaint here is that the grooves of the herringbone are a bit too tightly spaced. When you’re on a floor that has a good amount of dust you will need to maintain wiping the soles. This happens to be something that a lot of players do whether they need to or not so it wasn’t a huge issue for me. One benefit to having tightly spaced grooves is that they were able to pack on a lot of the pattern from heel to toe. So, when there was dust and you would be in a situation where you are unable to wipe, there was enough coverage to eventually get that bite you’d expect from this type of setup.

As one would suspect, on clean courts the traction was nothing short of awesome.

Outdoors they performed really nicely as well. The rubber is soft and they’ve begun to fray a bit, I only played outdoors for about 2 hours, so if you wanted something that works then this will do. If you wanted something that will last then I’d probably opt for the Harden Vol 2 instead.

Full length Boost makes up the midsole and its the most well-balance ride adidas has been able to come up with since implementing the cushion into its basketball line.

Heel to toe transition is smooth. Court feel is perfect. Impact protection still exists despite the latter. This has been my favorite version of Boost in basketball.

It’s not too bouncy. It’s not too firm. It’s just right.

While knits can be a hit or miss, when the material is able to mimic leather without the break-in process then that’s when it truly shines.

The setup here is very similar to what was used on the Nike LeBron 16. Despite the build being comprised of fabric, its thick and strong. Perfect just just about anyone. There is no dead-space within the shoe and they just feel awesome on-foot.

What’s with the elastic band? Does it do anything? No. Nothing at all. I think it’s just there as a design piece. While I thought it was strange at first, it does give you something to look at when you look down.

I went true to size and have no issues with the decision. In fact, these have been the best fitting adidas shoes I’ve worn in quite some time.

Lockdown was great as well. Once laced up they remind me a lot of the Nike Kobe 5. Only with a knitted upper. Pretty awesome, right?

Everything on the Harden Vol 3 works perfectly with one another. From the internal heel counter to the way the upper wraps around your foot. The flat stable base and the torsion spring plate running from the heel to the forefoot.

The adidas Harden Vol 3 might not look like much, but its performance on the court is nearly perfect. I’ve said this recently in a video — I wish I could remember which one — but sometimes simplicity garners the best results. There is nothing special about the Harden Vol 3, but the Harden Vol 3 is a special shoe. Its so simple that it does everything right. Some would say they played it safe, but if all you want is a shoe that hits every aspect you could want on a shoe then playing it safe might’ve been the best way to go.

If you end up with a pair, or have already been playing in a pair, I’d love to hear what you think about them. Do you feel the same way I do or was there something on the shoe that didn’t work out for you?