There are not too many point guards in the NBA that possess a unique package of extreme quickness, ultra speed and uncanny ball handling skills like Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings. Therefore, Under Armour has, and will continue to stretch the limits of basketball shoe creations for the Compton native.

His first signature sneaker, the Under Armour Micro G Black Ice, performed well in the ‘Stability’, ‘Response Time’ and ‘Durability’ categories because of its forefoot strap and lightweight capacity. Consequently, Under Armour incorporated some of those exact same attributes on Jennings’ second model, the Under Armour Micro G Bloodline. Did the Bloodline perform as well as the Black Ice? Is the Bloodline a better shoe for quick, speedy players like Brandon Jennings? Check out our Under Armour Micro G Bloodline performance review to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Lockdown: Similar to the Black Ice’s construction, Under Armour incorporated extreme lockdown within the Bloodline thanks to the forefoot strap. Actually, the Bloodline possesses more of a midfoot strap considering the placement of the velcro lockdown attribute. On the Black Ice, the velcro strap was placed right above the toe box, which gave that shoe a great lockdown feel in the forefoot, but not as much throughout the silhouette in its entirety. The Bloodline’s velcro strap is seemingly in the middle of the design, giving this shoe a lockdown balance throughout the entire wear. It behooves a player like Brandon Jennings, who relies on speed and quickness, to place great emphasis on lockdown when shopping for a basketball shoe because speed and quickness help keep your opposition off balance. Therefore, a shoe that sticks to your foot and is one with your foot helps keep you on balance and aids your ability to be speedy and quick without losing seconds. In addition to the midfoot strap, the Skeletex is extremely flexible and laces up tightly, which also caters to lockdown and support, our next point.

Support: The aforementioned Skeletex collar provides some of the best support on any sneaker within the current market. It is amazing how comfortable and secure your ankle feels in a low-top basketball sneaker like the Bloodline. If you have suffered from multiple ankle injuries in the past, you probably will not look twice at a low-cut silhouette like the Bloodline; however, it actually owns better ankle support than some high-cut/mid-cut basketball shoes out there. The Skeletex collar instantly grabs and surrounds your ankle when lacing this shoe up; there is no unattended room for your ankle to move in its own direction thus providing a complete oneness between the high ankle and collar area. We are not saying you will never have an ankle injury in these shoes because that impossible to predict, but the Skeletex collar undoubtedly provides an extreme custom fit around one of the most exposed parts of the body when playing basketball. As you can see, the top of the heel section on the collar is actually the shoe’s highest point, therefore, your ankle is supported at a higher level than most low-top sneakers provide. Support is the Under Armour Micro G’s best and most performance-ready characteristic by far.

Traction: Brandon Jennings is capable of blowing by any opponent in the NBA considering his change of speeds, stop-and-go moves, hesitations and his unmatched ball-handling abilities. For these reasons, Under Armour should have placed great emphasis on the Micro G Bloodline’s traction in attempt to give Jennings, and players that rely on quickness, an advantage on the hardwood. We feel as if Under Armour did upgrade from the “shattered ice” traction pattern seen on the Black Ice to the more effective multi directional traction incorporated on the Bloodline silhouette. Yet, it does not own the amount of grip we would expect for a guard-ready sneaker. While playing in this shoe, there were many times I had to gather myself when attempting to quickly change directions because the grip was not as heavy and forceful. Instead of stopping and quickly changing directions, there was too many times I actually lost seconds in planting my foot before launching off to the next spot on the court. On the contrary, it seems as if the multi directional pattern is beneficial on the defensive side of things considering you have a different traction patterned direction on almost every angle of the outsole. Defense is all about cutting off your opponent’s angles (even when you get beat), and the multi directional slits on the outsole are advantageous to that aspect of the game.

Cushioning: The Under Armour Micro G Bloodline plays very low to the ground, which seems to be an attribute players welcome these days, but there should be some kind of comfort level in the form of padding and cushioning. The Bloodline almost plays too low to the ground at the expense of no cushioning. After a few runs up and down the court, it feels as if you are barefoot on the hardwood in a sense because there seems to be little to no padding between your foot and the surface. Under Armour incorporated a full-length foam midsole, yet, it feels like the foam is very thin especially on the footbed of the Bloodline. The lack of cushioning causes a little discomfort at times, but not enough to totally do away with the shoe.

Responsiveness: Even before placing the shoe on your foot, you can tell the Bloodline lacks a superior amount of responsiveness by pressing your finger down on the footbed. The Bloodline provides the foot with a very stiff/stern surface, and it doesn’t own much bounce and/or spring for launching off of the ground. The firmness actually extends to the midsole/outsole and makes the shoe too inflexible and solid. It kind of feels like you are playing on an extremely flat surface that doesn’t give at all. Nevertheless, it is balanced throughout the entire wear of the shoe.

Breathability: Breathability has been a not-great-but-not-bad attribute in all of Under Armour’s basketball shoes so far. The Bloodline does not own a game-changing breathablity trait, but this element does not hurt its score either. Despite the midfoot strap (no matter how tight you pull it), the Bloodline does not grip to the foot to the point of no air between shoe and foot. The lightweight synthetic leather upper is very flexible and provides the wearer’s foot with a little wiggle room within the inside of the shoe. The Bloodline actually does a great job of balancing lockdown and breathability, two elements that usually contrast one another.

Durability: Although the Bloodline is one of the lightest sneakers on the market, it still has an extremely supportive synthetic upper as stated earlier. The upper is very flexible, bendable and is almost the exact opposite of the tough, extremely stiff sole. Yet, both are durable and will not easily tear or give, especially the sole. The areas around the velcro strap creased up a bit after a couple of wears, but that is expected considering the pressure that is applied to pulling on the strap tightly.

Overview: Brandon Jennings’s Micro G Bloodline is undoubtedly an upgrade from last year’s Micro G Black Ice. Specifically, Under Armour improved in the ankle support and lockdown categories, the two best performance-based characteristics of the Bloodline. Jennings’ second signature silhouette is definitely advantageous to a player who relies on quickness and speed thanks to the custom fit of this low-cut model. One would think a low-cut shoe would rank low in the ankle support category; however, this shoe ironically possesses some of the best support of any sneaker out there. Under Armour can definitely improve on the cushioning and responsiveness on Jennings’ shoes to help in the comfort category, and the traction can use more grip especially for a low-to-the-ground position player such as a point guard. Overall, the Micro G Bloodline is a step in the positive direction for Under Armour as they continue to build their basketball catalog.

The Under Armour Micro G Bloodline ($110) debuts in early November in a Black/Black/Red colorway followed by a Red/Red/White colorway just before Christmas. Before Thanksgiving, Under Armour will release three limited-edition colorways in honor of Jennings’ personal history.