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Key Takeaway From Illinois vs. Illinois State: Freshman Brandon Lee is Ready

Originally posted on Illinois Fighting Illini on SI
By Jackson Langendorf | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 12:36 PM ET

High-major recruits tend to walk into the college basketball ecosystem game-ready in a handful of ways. Especially today, practically every incoming recruit is prepared as a shooter, and their overall package of offensive skills is fairly advanced.

That said, almost every incoming freshman is behind in one key category: strength and physicality. But not Illinois’ Brandon Lee.

Strength won't be a problem for Illinois' Brandon Lee

Lee, a 6-foot-4 guard, is listed at 195 pounds, but he looks bigger and plays stronger than that on both ends. In his college debut against Illinois State on Sunday (an exhibition), Lee made it abundantly clear that physicality will not be a hurdle he needs to overcome or an aspect of the next level to which he'll need to adjust. If anything, opponents will need to adjust to his brute force.

“I thought Brandon, especially, kind of matched the physicality," said Brad Underwood, once again comparing Lee to a memorable former Illini. "Brandon reminds me – and this is really unfair, because he’s a freshman – a lot of Andres Feliz: downhill driver, physical point-of-contact defender. And I thought he matched the physicality of that.”

In the first half against the Redbirds, Lee took some time to get fully comfortable, as he got into “foul trouble” (players couldn’t foul out in the exhibition) on defense and seemed to be forcing things a bit offensively.

Apparently, though, Lee only needed 20 minutes to get his feet under him. In the second half, Lee put up 14 points (finishing with 17 on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance), while playing lockdown defense.

An on point pass from Kylan Boswell sets up Brandon Lee for the easy bunny!Subscribe/watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/DSFXJkMLem
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 19, 2025

In a Kylan Boswell-ish manner, Lee has that ability to get underneath an offensive player while using his sturdy frame to cut off any angles if the opposing guard gets even the slightest step on him. Add to the mix his all-out effort – which is often highlighted only for average athletes attempting to make up for physical shortcomings – and Lee seems ready to be a game-altering pest on that end.

Lee gets over every screen and, as Underwood pointed out, can be devastatingly physical at the point of contact. It has been only game, but when the effort is consistent, defense carries over well day to day. Lee doesn’t just have the potential to develop into the sort of defender who can wear out a ball-handler and break their will; he may already be there.

On the other side of the floor, Lee is a legit three-level scorer – although he seems to love going to the basket. In the most complimentary sense, Lee seeks out contact on both sides of the court. His combination of first-step explosiveness and pure force will undoubtedly allow him to get to the cup at a high clip throughout the season. And if Sunday was any sign, Lee will spend a lot of time at the free throw line in his Illini career.As if that weren't already enough, Lee also has a more-than-respectable jumper that will further open up driving lanes for himself and his teammates as he proves over time that opponents need to respect his range.