WearTesters is reader-supported. When you make purchases using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Why trust us?

adidas Crazy Hustle Performance Review

adidas crazy hustle thumbnail

Crazy traction, BOUNCE cushioning, soft materials — what could keep you away from the adidas Crazy Hustle? If anything, it was definitely a crazy experience to play in this shoe, and there aren’t too many things I can really nitpick about it either.

adidas crazy hustle traction

Traction – The Crazylight Boost 2016 traction pattern was used on the adidas Crazy Hustle. The Crazy Hustle features translucent rubber on this particular colorway (with solid rubber featured on the blue colorway) but the translucent rubber did not hinder the performance of the traction one bit. The traction absolutely bites the hardwood and you will be sticking like glue. The translucent rubber picks up dust over time, due to a tacky rubber compound, but a simple wipe takes care of that problem. In my weeks of playing in the adidas Crazy Hustle, I can confidently say I wiped less than ten times, even when playing on various court conditions. Overall, traction is an A1 option and I hope to try the solid rubber option in the future so I can compare how it would bite the floor.

Outdoor players, the rubber is pretty firm but the grooves are pretty shallow so these may not be the best option if you’re looking for longevity. They do grip outdoor courts very well though, especially on tennis court-like surfaces.

adidas crazy hustle cushion

Cushion – BOUNCE cushioning is used on the adidas Crazy Hustle. The midsole is designed similarly to the adidas AlphaBOUNCE as well. If you have tried BOUNCE before, then you know what the experience is like. In the Crazy Hustle, you have a stable and responsive ride, especially in the forefoot of the shoe, while the heel is a little more plush and forgiving. It isn’t the bouncy — no pun intended — ride you might get with Boost or Zoom because Bounce feels a little “dead” in the forefoot, but you know there’s something there if your feet and knees don’t hurt after playing. Guards or players who utilize their first step as an important part of their game will love the shoe as the Bounce offers court feel and a responsive ride.

adidas crazy hustle materials

Materials – The upper of the shoe is a mix of materials: a knitted upper, a high density print made of TPU for durability, and neoprene. The knitted upper takes up about three fourths of the upper, stopping just at the heel area of the shoe, where neoprene takes over. The knitted upper is covered with fuse in a high density print; interestingly, the print gets more dense in high wear and stress areas.

Nylon strands act as part of the lacing system and this comes to one of my only nitpicks about the shoe: the laces. The laces just didn’t feel durable. Every time I tied the shoe up, it felt as if I was going to snap the laces. Maybe I like my shoe super tight or something, but nonetheless, that was a concern of mine each and every time I played in the adidas Crazy Hustle.

adidas crazy hustle fit

Fit – adidas’ sizing came correct this time. I haven’t played in all of adidas’ recent basketball shoes, but I have experienced sizing issues with adidas before. However, the Crazy Hustle shouldn’t disappoint any foot shape. I went true to size with my normal size 10, and after I had played a significant amount of times in the adidas Crazy Hustle, I let a teammate play in the shoe. My teammate has a slightly wide foot, so he typically gets a 10.5 to accommodate for the extra width, but the adidas Crazy Hustle fit him fine in a size 10.

Lockdown was superb as well. Assuming you get the right size, which is a key component to getting quality lockdown, the Crazy Hustle will have you covered. No heel slippage (don’t know why some have this issue) or movement within the shoe during play, just containment. The lacing system and tongue work in tandem by wrapping your foot and keeping it directly on the foot bed.

adidas crazy hustle support

Support – You have a ton of support features in the adidas Crazy Hustle so let’s start from the bottom of the shoe. Underfoot you have the torsional plate from the adidas Crazylight Boost 2016, providing rigidity for torsional and arch support. Moving up, the midsole sits ever so slightly wider than the footbed. The midsole acts as a cradle for your foot — and an outrigger — as there is no exaggerated traditional outrigger present. The high density print fuse overlay adds support and durability to the upper. In the heel, there is an internal heel counter. Finally, the nylon straps incorporated into the lacing system go down to the footbed, securing your foot when the shoe is laced up.

adidas crazy hustle overall

Overall – The adidas Crazy Hustle is another great addition to the adidas Basketball line up. Great traction, great cushion, a solid combination of materials, great fit, and solid lockdown. The adidas Crazy Hustle will have you covered on the hardwood with every aspect of a great hoop shoe. I was really surprised by how well this shoe fit; I hope this is the beginning of a solution to some of the fit issues that consumers have experienced with adidas products in the past.

No matter what performance attributes are most important to you, the adidas Crazy Hustle has you covered. Any type of playing style could be more than satisfied with the adidas Crazy Hustle. It retails for $100 USD and is bound to go on sale, making this a steal if you can grab it for under retail.

Core Black/White | Collegiate Royal/Metallic Silver

adidas crazy hustle scorecard

18 comments
  1. Very nice option…CLB traction, lillard cushion, crazy explosive-ish upper (there will be CW’s with this material option on those, or at least similar)…glad they take their performance aspects from top tier models, making an affordable on court beast

  2. I’m interested in these. The Rose 7 was good except they felt heavy while playing in them and I have to do way too much just to get the to fit the close to the right way (thicker aftermarket insole + wearing two pairs of socks and still not being good enough) Too roomy inside no matter what I did. Crazy Explosive PK was great except they only work on the glossiest of courts.

  3. Sounds like a decent shoe, and I like the CLB outsole, but I wish adidas would have more options where you could feel the bounce or boost in the forefoot. Of all the shoes they released this year, the only ones you could feel are the Crazy Ex and the Lilliard 3(I think, I haven’t tried them on yet). I’m not asking for ultraboost softness, just to the point where I can feel it compress a bit is nice.

    It could up sales, too: I’ve seen a good amount of people online say they’ve tried a shoe on in store and didn’t get it cuz the “boost felt dead” or something along those lines. First impressions are key. If they try it on and theres a clear difference there, they would be more likely to give it a go.

    1. adidas should bring back the adiLux insoles(from the FYW line), it’s basically a PU/Ortholite combo that almost lasts forever(my insoles from 1998(KB8 III) still have a luxury, bouncy instep-comfort), it would give the new releases that bouncy, first impression too, because in-store cushioning is almost exclusively down to the insole.

      1. I never understood how companies can spend all this money designing tech etc, but when it comes to the insole, it’s a piece of junk. Most shoes you can replace them, but when you’ve spent money on a high tech shoe, you would think it would come with something better than a thin, flat piece of foam.

        I really love the look of these, but adidas just don’t fit my feet…

    2. I don’t own the Lillard 3 but tried it in store and guess what – the heel was nice and bouncy while the front of the shoe was much thinner and much stiffer like you describe. I would guess 2 issues – 1. Pros wearing the shoes really want responsiveness and that low to the ground feeling (or more so than an average baller) – thus for foams the front of the shoes is really to thin to act in a bouncy way; 2. Boost in particular is hard to keep stable once it is a certain height.

  4. Great review, sounds like a solid sneaker, you’re right about the fit though, the odd thing is, adidas second-tier, and third-tier usually have a more standardized fit than their top-tier, which is a little weird(or maybe it’s explained that Germans are very literal, so Signature-Shoe = Fitted to whatever weird feet, an NBA player has)

  5. thanks!

    this is the high-top CLB 2016 essentially, with some other features? in that case, shouldn’t the traction and cushion be hall of fame (instead of starting 5)?

    i mean, i guess i don’t care that much, but i currently am playing in the curry 2, and need some shoes to replace them. looking for better traction, and better lock down. sounds like the crazy hustle might be a match.

  6. Been considering giving Bounce a try and I my options is either Dame3 or the Crazy Hustle, what do you think of this shoe compared to Dame 3?

  7. Estas zapatillas con buenísimas. Son las que estoy usando yo ahora para los partidos. Pesan muy poco, son comodísimas, la amortiguación es perfecta y los materiales de calidad. Yo tengo el color azul y son muy bonitas. 100% recomendadas.

    These shoes are great. These are the ones I’m using now for the games. They weigh very little, are very comfortable, the cushioning is perfect and they are well built. I have the blue color and they are very pretty. 100% recommended.

Leave a Reply to ShtinkeCancel reply

Related Posts