Thursday was a long night for Clemson center Viktor Lakhin as he watched 30 picks come and go without his name called in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Prior to the draft, Lakhin was projected to be a second-round pick as many mocks had him going near the end of the process in the 50-60 range. He has all the tools necessary to be a plus stretch big in the NBA so it was surprising to see no teams take a chance on him.
It's especially shocking when you consider he had arguably his best game as a Tiger against ACC champion Duke, scoring 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. He was arguably the best player on the floor during that game against three top-10 NBA Draft prospects.
How does no NBA team take a chance on him after watching that film?
Well, it seems like Clemson fans aren't the only ones surprised that Lakhin didn't get drafted as respected NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor ranked is top 10 undrafted free agents and the Clemson big man made the list.
My top 10 undrafted free agents:
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 27, 2025
1. Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest guard
2. Eric Dixon, Villanova forward
3. Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga guard
4. Clifford Omoruyi, Alabama big
5. Vladislav Goldin, Michigan big
6. Viktor Lakhin, Clemson big
7. Brice Williams, Nebraska wing
8. Chucky…
While the names ahead of Lakhin on that list are more known, I do believe that he has a chance to have the brightest professional future out of the bunch. Cliff Omoruyi and Vlad Goldin are two more well-known bigs, but I think Lakhin is much more well-rounded and his inside-out game will translate to the NBA.
We'll see Lakhin participate in the NBA Summer League after he finally gets signed by a team and he'll have a chance to prove himself worthy of a roster spot or two-way contract.