Overview
Viktor Lakhin began playing basketball professionally in Russia at age 15 during the 2016-17 campaign. He continued playing for CSKA Moscow U18 through the 2019-20 season, also participating in youth Euro Championships. He moved to the United States for the 2020-21 season, though didn’t see the floor as a freshman at Cincinnati. As a sophomore, Lakhin saw 11.0 minutes per game, all off the bench. The next season, he started 29 of his 33 appearances and remained a most-time starter through the 2024-25 campaign, where he transferred to Clemson. Last year, he was named to the ACC All-Honorable Mention Team behind averages of 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 23.5 minutes.
Analysis
Lakhin has developed into a versatile big man. He’s a smart and accurate passer, can hit 3s and knows how to play in the post. On defense, he’s primarily a rim protector but can switch out on the perimeter and not look lost. He’s a theoretical 3-and-D big who can also do a bit of playmaking and score on smaller defenders in the paint.
Projection
A projected second-round pick, the team that drafts Lakhin may use him initially to space the floor and protect the rim, but there’s some scalability to his game that could allow his role to expand. There are similarities in his game to other versatile big men like Al Horford or Lamar Odom.
— Profile by RotoWire.com