Adidas Harden Stepback 3 review

Point guards, shooting guards and pivots are gonna love this shoe, and you might as well if...

• you have a limited budget
• you need something wide that keeps your feet in place
• you love explosive moves or posting up
• you think the best defence is a good ofence

This shoe's sole makes it perfect for pivots' moves. But if you're more of a heavy player and need that extra impact protection for your rebounds, we suggest you try the Nike Lebron 20.

If you're looking for an economic pair that will be your teammate for a while, we think you should go for the durable Nike Ja 1.

If you love basketball as much as we do, you probably already know that cushioning is a key feature your shoes must have.

We need our landing to be as safe as possible, protecting our knees and ankles from any potential injury.

So we KNOW you're gonna love the fact that the Harden Stepback 3 has a higher heel stack than average!

It's just 5% though, so if you're a big player (in every single aspect of the word) or your joints tend to hurt and you're looking for something more plush for your jumps, we recommend the Reebok Question Mid.

When we measured the forefoot stack, our caliper showed 21.0 mm.

This is just slightly lower than the category's average, but don't worry, the ball of your feet will be protected from any impacts when you go for a rebound!

The Adidas Harden Stepback 3 makes 2vs1 sound easy.

The heel-to-toe difference in this pair is 10.5 mm. We were pretty impressed by this, as it's 21% higher than the average!

But... what does this actually mean? Well, as the stack height at the front part is slightly lower than average, the ground feel is a bit better.

At the same time, this difference shows that your heel will land happily every time you jump.

Great combo, Adidas!

But... alright, we admit it. This is not the most plush basketball shoe out there.

Our durometer had something to say about this, but so do we!

With a score of 21.6 HA, the Harden Stepback's midsole softness is lower than average.

Yet, when we played ball with it on, we did not feel like that at all! Our feet were comfortable and protected, and our knees did not ask even once for some mercy!

If you're still looking for a pair with a softer cushioning that won't cost you an arm and a leg (maybe just one hand, though), have a look at the Jordan Luka 1.

Padded insoles usually add some extra cushioning to the shoe.

At 3.8 mm... this pair's insole is slightly thinner than average. So no extra plush here, our caliper says!

You might think this is bad news. But what if we told you that this translates into a better ground feel?

Not so bad anymore, huh?

Wider, wider, and... wider again!

We measured the Harden Stepback 3's toebox width at the widest part with our caliper at 107.0 mm. MVP of the beating average scores game!

And the same goes for the big toe!

At 78.8 mm, wide footers have nothing to fear.

Another key part of basketball shoes: stability.

This is a low-top pair, which meant our ankles moved freely to perform back-door cuts or change-of-pace dribbles.

Still, it's really important that our feet feel safe. And, honestly, they did!

Even though that extra lace you can see at the side heel is just for aesthetic purposes, the lace-up closure of this shoe kept our feet locked in comfortably.

Despite not being a high or mid-top pair, the Adidas Harden Stepback 3 gave us the confidence we needed in our step. And it wasn't only the laces, its tight fit helped a lot too!

As stiff as a good block, the Harden Stepback 3 got a 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test!

We tried bending, twisting, squeezing, and everything in between. But nope! It refused to do so!

Are you familiar with the term pick and roll in basketball? If so, the stiffness difference of this shoe regarding torsional rigidity and heel counter could easily be explained by that.

In other words, once you block (you stand still) you roll over with your hand up to get a pass (smooth moves again). So even though the Harden Stepback got a perfect score on its torsional rigidity test, it got a 2/5 on the heel counter stiffness one.

The meaning of this? Well, the overall structure of the shoe will protect your feet from getting hurt, and the plushness of the heel will make you forget about hot spots and blisters.

Time out talk: Even though this figure is lower than average, we did not feel there would be any heel slippage or any of the kind.

Back to the game!

A wider midsole equals a wider platform to land. This also means that you'll feel more confident when jumping, which sums up our experience playing with this shoe pretty well!

We measured the widest part of the midsole at the forefoot at 117.0 mm, so it's wider than average! We really felt surefooted with these baddies on.

Following the forefoots path, the width in the heel is also higher than average. At 96.4 mm, we felt the platform of this shoe was wonderful.

But this does not only mean that the shoe accommodates wide feet. Let us tell you that, after playing for some time in the sun, our feet started swelling. This is totally normal, though, but if your foot grows, you'll obviously need a wider surface for it, right?

Thanks to the Harden Stepback 3, we felt ready for anything even after some time playing.

Jump ball, ref!

We were left in awe after finding this out.

But wait, wait. Let's build up expectations. Before we say anything to you, just have a look at this video:

What we're doing is using a gauge to measure how much force it takes to bend the shoe to a 90-degree angle. And it doesn't seem like it's putting a lot of effort, right? Turns out it was just 38.2N!

Even though this is lower than average, we know from previous tests that this pair is not the Nadia Comăneci of basketball shoes. So, wow! Great surprise!

When we put this shoe on our scale, we realised it's almost 20 g heavier than average with its 14.9 oz (422.0g)!

To be honest, most Harden's shoes aren't what we'd call featherlight, so we weren't that surprised.

We started the Adidas Harden Stepback 3's big lab day with our breathability test. With our smoke-pumping machine, we check the shoe's breathability by the amount of smoke that goes through its upper.

As you can see, not much is coming out. Feeling a bit toasty, aren't we?

Basketball shoes are normally not as well-ventilated as we would think. Thing is, if you want them to last, you'll need to use sturdy materials in their design. This usually means that you'll have to sacrifice some breathability for durability.

By using a bright light, we can see if the shoe has some holes or pores that would let that light, as well as some air, come through.

But... we're afraid you're the one who's gotta be flashy here, pal! Zero transparency!

We used our microscope to look at its material closely. Check how tightly woven it is!

In conclusion, we've decided to give it a 2/5, which is pretty close to the average.

If you don't want your feet to become the Niagara Falls after hours and hours of playing, have a look at the breathable Nike Lebron Witness 7. It scored a wonderful 4/5 on this same test!

As we've seen in the previous category, this shoe's breathability is slightly lower than average.

And... does that mean that it's a sturdy pair, then?

Well, not quite! By just looking at the first seconds of this video of our Dremel going all out in the toebox, we can see how the materials start flying around!

And not in the cool Michael Jordan 5-meter jump dunk it in typa fly, more in the "get this thing away from me" way of flying!

As we can see, there is some damage, but it's actually not thaaaaat bad.

Okay, okay, its toe box isn't as durable as the Trae Young 2's. But, to be fair, the Harden Stepback 3 is also way cheaper! 50 dollars even!

So a 3/5 in our toebox durability test doesn't sound that bad anymore, huh?

Not strong at the front, and... not very strong at the back either!

After seeing the one-to-one attack our Dremel pulled off on the Harden Stepback 3, we closed our eyes and called for Kawhi Leonard to help with the defense!

We had to give this shoe a mere 2/5 in our heel padding durability test. Uh-oh!

But Harden is not the one to give up, and neither are his shoes!

This pair came back stronger with its sole. Using a durometer to check its hardness, we found that it's way higher than many other hoop models.

With a promising score of 85.5 HC, its hard-wear outsole is here to save the day!

Also, as we can see in the picture, the rubber from the sole comes up all the way up to the sides of the shoe. Not only protecting its foam, but also our feet!

Point guards will absolutely love this when the coach calls for a one-on-one defense, and shooting guards will definitely find it useful to avoid extending their stance in the offence. The sole's material is grippy enough to keep you on your feet even if you need to do extra quick moves like those.

Work hard, play hard!

Wait up, wait up... We might not actually need to ask "The Claw" for help in our defense strategy.

When we performed our outsole durability test and went full offensive with our Dremel, we were absolutely flabbergasted with the results.

22 seconds of constant damage here. And the Hard Stepback 3's outsole is like: "Sorry, did you call?".

Our tread gauge showed 0.2 mm of damage when the average is around 1 mm. We're trying to stay calm here, but listen up. Not even some specific mountain models are THAT strong.

The Harden Stepback 3? Yeah, easy peasy. Basically unbothered.

Do you think this what Shaq feels when you bump into him?

Before we move on, let's not forget we're talking about an affordable pair of basketball shoes here!

When we measured this shoe's outsole with a caliper, we found it to be lower than average at 3.6 mm.

Even though this would mean that the shoe would not be the best for outdoor use, its outsole hardness and durability might let you enjoy some hoops in the sun.

When we went balling to an outdoor court, we did not feel the sole was specifically weak or about to break.

It let us enjoy some cool free shots out there too.

Game on, Harden Stepback 3!

Even though the padding of the Harden Stepback 3's tongue got a lower score than average, we didn't feel any tongue bits or hotspots when we were having fun in the court.

You might see this as a disadvantage, but let's think about it twice.

In the previous tests, this shoe got a lower-than-average breathability but a higher-than-average weight. In fact, if you recheck the video of this first test, you can see that the smoke is actually coming out from the shoe in the tongue section.

So, in order to keep things balanced, its designer probably decided to include less padding in the tongue.

Smart move, Adidas!

The tongue of this shoe is what we call bootie type.

It's attached to the sides but not all the way up, and it has a loop in the middle to offer a lock-in feel. Even though it's not an incredibly padded tongue, it hugs your feet comfortably and it doesn't move around.

We can see the different loops, as we mentioned before, right in the middle of the tongue and a little bit up, and on the sides and at the beginning of the toebox.

Apart from being very stylish, these pieces will also make sure the shoe's laces wrap around your fit nicely and safely.

This shoe has 2 finger loops at the back. Even though the small one is there probably just to look cute (and it really does) we've found this very helpful.

Like, imagine your feet are already swollen because of the heat. Or worse... you're late for training and that means you gotta run suicide drills. You're most likely thinking: "Oh, please, no. Just no, anything but that!".

Anyone who has tried that exercise knows how incredibly exhausting it is. So, even though this pair has a big opening, that might not be enough to put it on in a rush. This is where the finger loop shines! Hurry up, put your feet inside, and start pulling.

Let's make running out of time also running away from punishments!

Remember we mentioned before that this shoe sacrifices plushness in order to get some extra ground feel?

If you wanna change that, you can just use custom orthotics with it. The Adidas Harden Stepback 3 has a removable insole!