Why aren't there more polyurethane based outsoles (GCU, RPU, SPS) being used in basketball shoes?
I'm curious why if many of the flagship shoe lines for Chinese brands are using some PU materials on their shoes, Li-Ning Gamma, WOW12(ish), 361 Joker GT/Biospeed BB/Menace 2 Pro, and Serious Player Only (all lines)...
Why aren't traditional brands trying them?
Why does Li-Ning appear to be moving away from GCU? The WOW12 only has GCU on the midfoot and heel while the 808 Ultra only has GCU on the outside of the forefoot. The AC14 only has Tuff RB.
I'm sure there's some diminishing returns / cost benefit analysis that is going on here, but I can only guess that the people buying premium shoes in the US largely play on clean courts which most shoes will be just fine for, while the people willing to pay extra for consistent grip on a dusty court are probably not worth the innovation.
Thoughts?