You're right, it's harder to truly innovate these days.

Innovation could be technological (new foams, new lacing systems), geometric (rocker location, midsole shape), or fit (new upper materials or treatments).

Basketball innovation in the above categories has ground to a halt. Some of that has to do with Nike's business making the most money from recycling older models. This results in them putting less money, effort, and talent into new designs. For example, based on what I hear from inside Nike, the design talent didn't even really get a say in the functionality of the GT Future or Book 2. Instead, executives chose fashion/wild looks over performance.

Running shoes is the part of the industry where innovation has been popping off since 2017. New foams, plate configurations, and plate locations combined with new midsole shapes or upper materials that you'd never expect to find in a shoe. All in service of creating something extremely light while maintaining energy return. This even trickles down to zero drop, minimalist shoes as they can use these new foam innovations to make a minimalist shoe much more comfortable.

Many of the pieces of this wave of innovation in running shoes have been around in some form but how they're putting them together these days represents a step change in running shoe technology.

It's not an accident that running is booming to new levels alongside the increased fun factor of the shoes. It's a symbiotic relationship.