adidas D Rose 4 Performance Review

D Rose has returned… and his kicks play just as good as he does.

Traction – We’ve been in similar situations with this style of traction – adidas Crazyquick & Rose 773 II – but this rendition is better than the rest. It works beautifully on most court conditions – you will need to periodically wipe if the floor is really dusty – and you can rock these on outdoor courts without worry of burning through the traction in a matter of hours. Pure Motion is wonderful, I feel like I say this every time I use it but its true… I love how it feels. As a Guard, if you enjoy a shoe that offers you unlimited and unrestricted motion then there is no better than adidas’ Next Gen PureMotion. It just makes playing the game fun… which is what it should be.

Cushion – Still a fairly minimal setup overall but it sits slightly higher than the Crazyquick/ Rose 773 II. You wont lose court feel due to the increased thickness and they ride a bit more comfortable overall. The midsole itself is adidas’ traditional EVA while the heel features an adiPrene crash pad. This crash pad is decent but not really necessary… I would have liked to have seen adiPrene used throughout or not used at all. Boost would’ve been even better but we’ll just have to wait for the Rose 5 to see if it’s used. Like I said above, I love how the PureMotion feels and plays so this setup isn’t an issue for me at all. Those that are new to a minimal setup should enjoy them as well since you aren’t riding quite as low as your would in the Crazyquick.

Material – I dislike the upper overall in terms of feel but in terms of performance… it works great. There is a small break-in period and each wear after being broken in makes them feel better and better. Its been durable so far and has retained its shape perfectly fine so I can’t complain too much. I would have just preferred something similar to what we were given with the Rose 3 but it is what it is.

Fit – They fit true to size and there is no pinching from the SprintFrame since they’ve removed the sidewalls that would cup the foot a bit… finally! Lockdown is incredible and the heel’s GeoFit section is awesome. Once you lace up then all you have to worry about is the game itself, the shoe takes care of itself. If I could sum up the overall fit in one word… “containment”.

Ventilation – The ventilation is decent. Not too far off from the D Rose 3. This material (plastic type material) isn’t as breathable as the synthetic leathers they used last year but its still not anything to really complain about.

Support – Overall support is great. SprintFrame is excellent and supportive – as usual – while the materials (while I don’t like how they feel) keep the foot extremely contained and the PureMotion adds a stable platform to work with. Very well rounded in terms of support without adding restriction.

Overall – Wasn’t too thrilled with playing in a shoe that was so similarly setup to adidas’ other most recent models but I did really enjoy the small tweaks that you can’t really see but can feel. Removing the sidewalls of the SprintFrame was the best tweak while the modified traction was another bonus. I would have been fine with a lower profile setup but I also loved the slight increase in cushion with these… the adiPrene though, not needed… should have just given us an insole made of adiPrene instead. Would have made more sense than a tiny crash pad. With that being said… I really loved playing in them. They are probably one of the best performance models from the Rose line so far… even though they got the materials right with the 3 vs. these. Side note that should be noted… price went from $160 (D Rose 3) to $140 (D Rose 4)… high five for that, adidas… high five.