After wearing the Zoom Brave 2 and having such a good experience with a lower cut shoe, I figured it might be a good time to give low tops a try. I loved the Zoom BB ever since it came out and finally found a pair on sale in the colorway I wanted. I wish I could get a pair of the mid tops but I have never seen the colorway I wanted here. The looks of the Zoom BB is very plain and simple, which I like.
This shoe is a true low top and is therefore much lower than the Zoom Brave 2. They go down below my ankles. It gives your ankle a lot of freedom but also lacks the traditional ankle support that most basketball players have become accustomed to. As with the midtop Zoom BB's, the low tops are extremely comfortable out of the box. The Zoom cushioning is noticeable when just walking around. The first obvious difference that I noticed (other than the height of the shoe) was that the Zoom BB is a much narrower shoe than the Zoom Brave 2. This might be an issue for those with wide feet.
The first 10 minutes or so of playing in the Zoom BB Low were definitely the hardest. I lacked confidence in the shoe and had a very hard time making myself do anything in it apart from just running. Once I got over the whole low top feel and things went much better. I started gaining confidence in the extended plate that Nike placed on the outside of the heel to give lateral stability and was able to start cutting with more confidence. It is incredible how much lateral support this shoe has for a low cut and can only imagine how much better the midtop might feel. This combine with the out-trigger in the forefoot and there is plenty to keep your foot stable during cutting motions. This is quite a different feel that the Zoom Brave 2 gives with its wider forefoot but works wonders, although I would have to give the Zoom Brave 2 the nod.
Cushioning in the Zoom BB is awesome. The Zoom bags both are the forefoot and the heel are incredibly responsive and comfortable. The forefoot feels like it is a thicker unit that the one found in the Zoom Brave 2, which might explain why the Zoom BB doesn't feel as low to the ground. In any case, you are still rewarded with a very good feel for the court.
The shoe provides good traction on the dirty courts of Shanghai. I never had a problem with slipping but there is nothing too spectacular about it either. There sole does simply does its job well.
The big bonus of using a low cut shoe such as this is that it is very very light. Running around in these was effortless, even at the end of a long game. Once I got passed the whole low cut feel, it was really easy to just play my game without thinking about my feet. There is virtually no fatigue thanks the the light weight of the shoe.
Overall, this was a very good experience. I finally got my chance at playing in the Zoom BB albeit not the model I think I would have preferred. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised that the lack of physical ankle support was not a deterrent to playing ball and that the shoe was plenty stable for me. It goes to strenghten further my belief that physical ankle support is just a mind block and that most players would be fine playing in a low cut shoe. I really cannot see the midtop version of the Zoom BB being any worse than this and it would surely ease a lot of people's minds of ankle support as well. As such, the Zoom BB is definetely a highly recommended shoe from me.
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