Clemson big man Viktor Lakhin was hoping to hear his name called during the two-day NBA Draft process earlier this week but he went through two rounds and 60 picks disappointed.
The senior center who transferred over from Cincinnati for the 2024-25 season had a big year with the Tigers, becoming one of the best bigs in the ACC.
Lakhin played so well and consistently this season that he actually earned a top-60 grade according to numerous NBA Draft experts as he was projected to go late in the second round. He was a legit 50-60-range prospect and it was shocking to see him go unselected.
It felt like he'd be one of the first players to sign with an NBA team ahead of Summer League action as an undrafted free agent, but fast forward to Saturday evening and he remains unsigned.
Lakhin is actually one of just two top-100 prospects from the NBA Draft to not yet have a team.
So far, the only remaining Top-100 prospects (per both @DraftExpress & @Sam_Vecenie) who have not committed to an NBA team are:
— David Weiner #🟦 (@BimaThug) June 28, 2025
Viktor Lakhin - C, Clemson
Jaxson Robinson - G/F, Kentucky
This is both surprising and slightly disappointing. There's a chance he could just be holding out for the right fit since he can be selective as a free agent, but he can't be too picky since it's unlikely he hears from every team in the league.
Lakhin is one of the more skilled bigs that entered the draft process, but he apparently didn't do enough to prove that as he still remains unsigned. But there could also be injury concerns as he missed time in the pre-draft process. That may have scared some teams away.
But as Clemson (and Cincinnati) fans already know, he's going to surprise whatever team he joins because he has all the tools necessary to succeed in the NBA.
He has to sign with a team first.