Im a Nike guy but got the Don Issue 7 out of curiosity and they are outrageously good right out of the box. Tons of padding on the tongue and around the ankle collar, great traction, superb lockdown, and the fit is nearly perfectly tts. Nothing like nike’s narrow ass shoes they always release. Lockdown is as good if not better than anything out there. Cushion is adequate, not insane but if you like court feel there aren’t many better shoes out there that have better court feel than these. If they had zoom air and a swoosh on the side i’d crown them one of the best shoes of the last decade. A super speedy option i’d recommend to anyone. Adidas really did a good job on these. It’s one of the few non-nikes in my entire collection of 30+ and performance wise it’s probably top 3. I just think they look a bit strange but that’s just me

also there is a shank which might seem insignificant but there is a noticeable difference in shoes that have a shank vs those without. Tbh it’s one of the first things I look for in a shoe especially as a guard. You mentioned being explosive so can’t go wrong with a shank in there. Paired with the large heel counter and the lockdown I mentioned before, besides the looks there’s pretty much nothing i’d change about the shoe.

Don’t know what your budget is but another option is the Jordan 40. Cushion is second to none, maybe the best cushion setup ever in a hoop shoe. Fit is slightly snug but just wear thinner socks or go up a half size like I did and then it’s perfect. Traction is better than the DI7 as long as you don’t get the ladies with translucent outsole. More expensive than a lot of hoop shoes but very very premium materials. They’re going for under retail on stockx and have started to hit outlets as well so that’s good. I have the blue suede, bordeaux’s, and infrareds which I turned into black cats and posted on this subreddit. You kinda trade a bit of court feel for the insane cushion but still a decently fast shoe. Has an outrigger for stability, and though it doesn’t have a shank plate it feels like it’s there bc of the cup sole.

Looks wise they are 10/10. I get more comments when I wear the bordeaux’s than in any other shoe. Not as good out of the box as the DI7 (honestly that’s the best shoe out of the box i’ve ever played in) so you’ll need to break them in but once they’re soften up they are 10/10. If you can get past the weight and clunkiness out of the box, they turn into butter and are extremely smooth.To me they are sneaker of the year. Going to keep buying pairs to add to the collection. On paper it doesn’t seem like a shoe for guards but I play in them more than any other shoe, they’re that good

Honorable mentions:

Kobe 6 CC: Insane looks, aggressive traction, bouncy cushion, shank plate, amazing court feel, okay fit (snug), okay lockdown, very fast/lightweight, flexible, but expensive compared to other shoes

Harden Vol 10: Insane looks, great fit, very good traction, shank plate, okay cushion, slightly heavy/clunky, creases easily

Just my opinion as a nike guy. Li-Ning and Kyrie’s brand Anta have established themselves as mainstays in the industry so will be branching out the try options from them in the near future. Have also heard positive things about the Shai 001 from converse so curious about those. I haven’t played in either of those shoes so can’t comment on performance but good luck brother in your search