If you will gather round the case, I will take you through this one properly, and then I will go off-book, because the label does not do it justice. Exhibit: the Rush Pro Lite. As you can see, it carries the Rush Pro name, but the brief was different. This shoe was designed around comfort first, and everything in it follows from that decision.

Note the toe box, which is wide — deliberately wide, for players whose feet have opinions. Note the upper: a single layer of breathable mesh rather than the layered constructions used elsewhere in the family, which is lighter and cooler and which is why this is the shoe for a hot afternoon.

Note the sole, which is curved to support the stride through all three of its phases, from heel strike to toe-off, rather than sitting flat and letting you do the work. Inside there is a Pro Torque Chassis Light, the stability structure in its lighter form, and an R-DST+ midsole for cushioning that protects the joints over a long match.

Underneath, Duralast rubber and the DF2 geometry give traction and immediate response on every court surface, and an ergonomic toe cap protects the front. Fit: true to size, medium width, a slightly low arch, and little to no break-in required.

Our next room is Bat Yam, where the city hall is an inverted concrete ziggurat of 1963 — wider at the top than the bottom, deliberately, and it has been arguing with the skyline ever since.

“Wide toe box, single-layer mesh, curved sole. It is a different brief.”

This is not a lesser Rush Pro.

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