Gonzaga entered the final weeks of August without certainty at point guard. Mark Few solved that problem by landing Xaivian Lee, a proven playmaker who could transform the Bulldogs from a dangerous team into a genuine national championship contender.
College basketball’s chaotic eligibility landscape created a potentially devastating problem for Gonzaga. It may have also delivered the player capable of completing Mark Few’s roster.
Florida transfer Xaivian Lee committed to the Bulldogs on Wednesday after receiving temporary legal protection that allowed him to enter the transfer portal and pursue another college season.
Lee’s situation remains tied to an ongoing lawsuit, but his commitment gives Gonzaga something it desperately needed: a proven starting point guard.
The Bulldogs had been facing serious uncertainty after Javon Bennett lost his eligibility protection when the NCAA received a stay in a separate case. French guard Nathan de Sousa also has not received final clearance from the NCAA.
Gonzaga could have entered the season without an established player to run its offense.
Instead, Few landed one of the most accomplished guards available.
Xaivian Lee gives Gonzaga its missing piece
Lee spent three seasons at Princeton before transferring to Florida last year.
He averaged 17 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals over his final two seasons with the Tigers. Lee then proved his game could translate from the Ivy League to the SEC, producing 11.6 points, 4.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game for Florida.
His outside shooting declined to 29.2%, but that number does not tell the complete story. Lee connected on 34.5% of his attempts across his final 18 games and shot an excellent 59.4% from inside the arc.
Gonzaga does not need Lee to become its leading scorer.
The Bulldogs need him to organize their half-court offense, attack ball screens and deliver the ball to a gifted collection of teammates. A potential starting lineup featuring Lee, Davis Fogle, Chauncey Wiggins, Braden Huff and Massamba Diop has size, scoring and positional versatility.
Lee’s ability to defend at the point of attack may be equally important. Gonzaga lost several perimeter defenders from last season, leaving Few in need of someone capable of containing elite guards.
Lee showed he could handle that responsibility against SEC competition.
Gonzaga’s roster suddenly looks complete
Before Lee’s commitment, Gonzaga had the pieces of a contender without a reliable player connecting them.
That is no longer the case.
Fogle can spend more time attacking rather than carrying the burden of initiating every possession. Huff and Diop should receive more opportunities around the basket, while Wiggins gives Lee another dangerous perimeter option.
There are still unresolved questions involving Bennett, de Sousa and Spanish center Izan Almansa. The temporary restraining order responsible for Lee’s opportunity also is not a final resolution of the broader eligibility fight.
For now, however, Few has secured the player his roster could least afford to be without.
Gonzaga did not merely fill an open position in late August. It landed a point guard who has produced at Princeton, handled the SEC and already experienced the pressure of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs entered Wednesday with a glaring weakness.
They ended it with another reason to believe Few’s elusive national championship may finally be within reach.
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