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D.O.N. Issue 2 Performance Review

Several months ago, the second version signature shoe of Donovan Mitchell, the right-hand man with both popularity and ability of his team, was official released. And since I’ve watched all the NBA games and I am also a fan of this player, I just bought the shoes without any hesitation the moment I saw the picture of the shoes.

As a matter of fact, I am deeply impressed by the first version of Donovan Mitchell’s signature shoe which is highly cost-effective and loved by the majority of shoe fans. So whether this pair of D.O.N. Issue 2 can continue our expectation? The answer is here and just take a closer look at the shoes.

To begin with, I want to talk about the shoes’ cushioning. After my testing the shoes, I found that not only did it not fail me, but it has far exceeded my expectations. Likewise, the shoes are equipped with the Bounce cushion which can offer a nice cushioning experience. Although it is not the softest one I’ve ever met, it can still be said to be superior. Under some circumstances, say, on outdoor courts,  some might even feel it a bit too hard, but it is sufficient for use on indoor courts.

Then in terms of the outsole, it is not bad as well. But different from the previous one, it is made of a more wear-resistant material and patterned with the spider-web like grains, which distinguishes the shoes by offering a fantastic grip. Compared with the first version, this one would be more than suitable for playing on indoor courts.

However, there is still a problem. After several weeks of getting along with the shoes, I found that the rear part of the outsole has more obvious signs of wear than the front part. Maybe it is because of the design, the rear part is, in a nutshell, not that wear-resistant as does the front part.

The vamp material of this D.O.N. Issue 2 is mainly mesh fabric with a small amount of artificial leather, which is also a commonly-seen combination in recent years. Although the overall vamp is not so soft, its wrapping performance does surprise me.

Honestly, when the “GCA” first appeared in my sight, I was afraid of experiencing the awful wrapping offered by Dame 6 and Pro Boost again. But luckily, it turned out that the wrapping of this pair of shoes is really good which should be credited to the thick vamp. What’s more, with the thick tongue, I can only feel my feet firmly fixed inside the shoes.

On top of that, the heel of the shoe is also filled with thick padding, making the wrapping performance all the more excellent. Therefore, with this fantastic experience offered by the shoes, I just changed my stereotypical view of shoes with GCA.

With regard to the shoelaces, however, I think the only fly in the ointment is  that they seem a bit weak and can break easily.

As a rule, those shoes with excellent wrapping can offer a nice support as well, and the D.O.N. Issue 2 here is a good example. The solid mesh material of the vamp and the partial artificial leather both ensure a nice supporting performance. And as usual, the Bounce in the midsole is upturned, which also effectively fixes our feet. In addition to that, from my point of view, the most satisfying part of this design is that the shoes are not so chunky in its appearance.

On the strength of my experience, both the torsion resistance and the anti-rollover performances are equally superb. Actually, I think it’s safe to say that D.O.N. Issue 2 is equipped with almost everything we need.

Notwithstanding all the above advantages, when asked about the shortcomings of the shoes, I would say that it certainly is the breathability. Because of the thick vamp and the much thicker tongue, the shoes’ breathability is not that good as you might have expected.

Overall:

To tell the truth, I favor the KD13 quite a lot as soon as I got to know its overall performances. And the same goes for this pair of D.O.N. Issue 2. Compared with the previous version, this one has been improved in many aspects, and if it is compared with the shoes of other brands, it can be superior as well.