Donovan Mitchell explains why he refused to play with contact lenses: 'I'm just shooting at three rims and trying to figure it out'

Donovan Mitchell's scoring bag is as deep as any NBA guard today. As good as he has been, he's actually playing with a handicap: "Spida" has terrible vision, but he chose not to wear corrective lenses. Instead, he let everything be as it was and figured things out on the go, including aiming for his shot when he couldn't clearly see the rim.

"I don't wear no contacts," reveals Mitchell on The Pivot Podcast. "It's crazy because my first year in Cleveland, I wore contacts during the preseason and practice. What I learned was the depth perception: Since everything is so clear, everything looks so close. So, I'm shooting, like, 'Alright, it's cash,' but it's short, airball all preseason. I could see everything perfectly with the contacts in, but I couldn't hit anything. As soon as I take 'em out, aight, we good."

"I take them off to start shooting because my muscle memory for so many years has been without glasses, without being able to see. So, I tell everybody, I'm like 'Bron. I'm just shooting at three rims and trying to figure it out," added the five-time All-Star.

Obviously, Mitchell's eyesight is not bad enough to be a significant issue. If he couldn't recognize his teammates or jersey colors out there, then it's a different story. Interestingly, science agrees with Don on this one. A study published in the National Library of Medicine suggests there is no correlation between shooting accuracy and visual acuity under reasonable conditions.

LeBron reference

Mitchell mentioned LeBron James in the interview, referring to the Los Angeles Lakers icon's quote during the 2021 play-ins against the Golden State Warriors. The four-time NBA champ was poked in the eye by Draymond Green at one point but gathered himself and made a game-clinching three-pointer for the Purple and Gold.

"After Draymond's finger to the eye, I was literally seeing three rims out there, so I just shot at the middle one. And I was able to, through the grace of the man above, I was able to knock it down. I definitely wasn't leaving the floor, no matter if I had to put a pirate's patch on my eye. I love this team, and I love to compete," Bron said after the game.

Nobody knows for sure if LBJ meant it metaphorically or literally. However, there's no question that Spider could only see hazy outlines of the rim from far out without contact lenses on during games. As he said, that's where muscle memory resulting from years of work and practice sets in.

"Seeing is believing"

Contact lenses or not, Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers is currently the best team in the NBA. They sit at 18-3 after 21 games and 1.5 games over the defending champs, Boston Celtics. In fact, they handled their business with the C's on Sunday with a 115-111 win. As per usual, "Spida" led the Cavs with 35 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, shooting 6-of-11 from distance.

For the 2024-25 season, Don is averaging 24.6, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals. His overall field goal percentage is just around his career averages, but he is knocking down almost 40 percent of his deep shots, the best of his career. With or without perfect vision, Mitchell sees the rim well enough to make it count.