Puma Scoot Zero
The Puma Scoot Zero is Scoot Henderson’s first signature shoe with the brand, and, potentially, one of the top bang-for-your-buck options of the year.
Release Date: December 2023
Price: $100
Scoot Henderson was the number 3 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft and one of the most exciting and explosive prospects of said draft class. It’s no surprise that Puma signed Scoot as soon as they could to add him to its young roster of NBA stars. Scoot had a rocky start to the 2023 season but showed flashes of his potential when he was able to get healthy minutes on the hardwood.
Before the start of the season, Scoot was featured prominently in all the promotional materials for the Puma All Pro Nitro and even got a PE of the shoe. But he never actually laced them up in the NBA.
We’ve seen Scoot playing in his signature shoe since back in August 2023, and now it’s finally hit shelves, and, of course, we got our hands on a pair. The shoe look very promising (especially for the price) so let’s dive into the review and see exactly what the Scoot Zero has to offer.
UPDATE: The Puma Scoot Zero made it onto our list of the best budget basketball shoes of the year.
Puma Scoot Zero Performance review
Puma Scoot Zero Traction Performance
The Scoot Zero features a solid rubber outsole with two different traction patterns etched into it. First, we have some of the most aggressive and thick herringbone we have seen on a hoop shoe in a while. This pattern covers a good portion of the forefoot, the midfoot, and the heel of the shoe. It’s interrupted by a thinner, pivot-point style, radial traction pattern right at the ball of the foot, which is also constructed with a different style of rubber.
This traction pattern looks amazing. Not only does it look like it will offer insane grip indoors, but the robust herringbone pattern seems perfect for outdoor play. Hopefully, the radial portion will hold up outdoors as well, and if it does, the Scoot Zero might just be equipped with the best outdoor traction we have seen all year.
Puma Scoot Zero Cushion Performance
Where the traction was impressive, the cushioning is just disappointing. It isn’t bad, but knowing what Puma could have put into the Scoot Zero, makes this feel like a missed opportunity. What we have is a dense compression-molded ProFoam EVA midsole and…well…that’s it.
This style of foam is commonly used in Puma basketball shoes, but it’s normally coupled with another one of their proprietary foams to create a dual-density cushioning setup (like for example in the aforementioned Puma All Pro Nitro).
It isn’t an uncomfortable cushioning system but its strengths are stability and court feel, so if you are looking for something plush and cushy underfoot, this isn’t it.
Puma Scoot Zero Materials Performance
Materials are nothing to write home about in terms of quality, but, considering this is a $100 basketball shoe, Puma has delivered a very well-built shoe indeed. What we have is a nice robust textile upper that feels very nice around your foot, with some synthetic overlays to boost the shoe’s all-around support.
Nothing on the shoe is premium, unfortunately, but it is lightweight, it will mold to your foot easily and perform well on court which is all that really matters at the end of the day.
Puma Scoot Zero Fit Performance
The Puma Scoot Zero fits true to size, so go with whatever size you usually wear with Puma. As we have mentioned earlier, that textile upper conforms very well to your foot, and should require little to no break-in time.
Puma Scoot Zero Support Performance
Support on the Puma Scoot Zero is solid, and it all comes from the build of the upper and those synthetic overlays, and the midsole itself. There isn’t much in terms of tech to increase the shoe support, it simply relies on the containment provided by the upper and that thick stable midsole.
There are no lace cables, groundbreaking torsional plates, or innovative heel counter, just a nice snug fit, adequate containment, and a stable base. All in all, it’s a very secure feeling basketball shoe on court, it’s just not elite as far as support and containment go.
Puma Scoot Zero Overall Performance
The Puma Scoot Zero is just a solid basketball shoe with no bells or whistles. This is slightly disappointing if you are looking at the Scoot Zero as the “first signature shoe for an exciting new NBA prospect”. If we look at these shoes as one of Puma’s budget basketball shoes for the 2023-24 season, then they’re much more impressive.
Either way, the Scoot Zero promises to be a dependable on-court performance basketball shoe and a good start to what will hopefully be another great signature line to keep an eye on.
