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adidas Posterize Performance Review

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The adidas Posterize (briefly known as the adidas Trifecta) aims to bring a lifestyle aesthetic to the court as an amalgam of past adidas models — and of course with the tooling of last winter’s adidas Marquee Boost. Does this new construction add value as a performer?

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If you know the Marquee Boost then you’re familiar with this outsole – full length herringbone with a wider spaced zone of the pattern pointing laterally in the forefoot. What was a slight issue in consistency in the Marquee Boost is less of an issue in the Posterize, though you will still want to keep up with wiping on dustier settings.

Everywhere else the traction was just fine, including outdoors where the rubber seemed to do well against the grain and even showed potential for durability.

Maybe being the outsole of my pair of Posterize is much less of a translucent (I’d say somewhere in the 90% range for opacity) than the pair of Marquees I tested, they were just more consistent – even if minimally so.

Again, the midsole of the Marquee Boost is carried over to the Posterize. I really enjoy the setup, but somehow it is even better this time around. Where the torsional plate of the Marquee Boost made the midsole a little stiff in transition, the Posterize is much more flexible and smoother right out of the box.

I checked with a source to make sure, and yes the same style torsion system was used, however, my guess is that the spring plate is possibly thinner as you get so much more range of motion without required break in or loss of support where needed.

Back to the midsole – Boost is still a killer cushion when done right, and this setup is just right in my opinion. The forefoot sits lower to the ground, giving an awesome mix of response and impact protection. The heel does have a little more volume, but it really is nothing serious to critique, unless you are dealing with a pre-existing ailment that can’t handle so much cushion (see Nightwing2303’s adidas Marquee Boost Performance Review for more on that). Otherwise, you really can’t ask for more out of a cushion setup like this.

Both flashy and functional, the upper of the Posterize is great. Textiles, leather, suede, synthetics – you basically get a little bit of everything except a knit here, and it’s awesome. The base of the upper is covered in a breathable mesh, the suedes over the rear panels add support to an already strong internal heel cup, and the tumbled leather overlay moving towards the forefoot is a nice addition.

A variation of the shell toecap from the adidas Superstar is featured covered in 3M, the tongue is traditional and pays homage to the adidas Crazy 2 with its screen mesh ventilation, and a removable ankle strap and other design lines give the adidas Fast Break some representation. Even the thick rope lacing blends well with the aesthetic and serves good purpose.

Combine all this with a comfortable lining and internal sculpting and you have yourself another great shoe to transition on and off the court seamlessly. If you are looking to spice things up a bit, yet, still find comfort in something form fitting, look no further.

I went down a half size to cut a little bit of length in the Posterize. I do feel I could have been okay true to size, but to be safe I’m happy with what I decided on. Wide footers have a chance at going true to size with no issue being that the tongue is not attached to the footbed in any way, but if you do have a wide foot and something feels off TTS, don’t force it.

Lockdown is also great. The thick rope laces take a strong hold once you make your adjustments – just make sure you knot/double knot so it doesn’t come undone multiple times in a game. I’m also happy to say I have no concerning movements or heel slip within the Posterize, whatsoever – something I can’t say for either pair of Marquee Boost I’ve owned in my true size as low cut or in a high cut at a half-size down.

It all comes together beautifully – the right fit, good usage of materials, solid heel counter, and torsional support all over a wide and flat platform. No, the ankle strap doesn’t add anything performance wise, but it’s nice you have the option to remove it if you please.

If the adidas Posterize ends up working for you, then it should really work for you.

If you’ve tried the Marquee Boost and liked it, you should really like adidas Posterize. Boost still has a place in basketball, and with other companies now making use of similar foam, I don’t mind the decision to recycle tooling to continue offering Boost in some capacity.

The adidas Posterize is top-to-bottom comfortable and makes for a solid performer that holds up well. This is one of those pairs that will see a lot of wear from me, even as testing is complete.

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