Clemson big man Viktor Lakhin one of two top-100 NBA draft prospects left without a team

With this year's NBA draft concluded, Viktor Lakhin, the standout Clemson center, now faces an uncertain path forward, as his name was not announced during the two-day event at Barclays Center.

ALSO READ: Top 10 ACC prospects who can fall to second round of NBA draft ft. Maxime Raynaud

Lakhin's combination of size, agility and skill set made him a tantalizing prospect for NBA teams seeking to bolster their frontcourt. While he did not hear his name called on draft night, it was believed he would soon find his way onto an NBA Summer League roster — but that has not happened yet.

On Saturday, an NBA capologist shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), detailing that Viktor Lakhin and Kentucky forward Jaxson Robinson were the only two players in ESPN’s Top 100 draft prospects who had yet to be signed by a team. The rest, who went undrafted, had already either signed two-way deals with teams or agreed to play for them in the Summer League.

Eric Dixon, a dominant force at Villanova who was even ranked No. 52 in ESPN's mock draft, went undrafted. He later agreed to a two-way contract with the LA Lakers.

Viktor Lakhin, who is from Anapa, Russia, spent the 2024-25 season with the Tigers after transferring from the Cincinnati Bearcats. The 6-foot-11 center averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 23.6 minutes per game. Lakhin played 34 matchups for the school, starting 33 of them.

Clemson faces second year with no NBA pick as Viktor Lakhin goes undrafted

Two players from Clemson's 2024-25 roster entered the NBA draft this year, hoping to hear their names called, but neither happened. Along with Viktor Lakhin, senior guard Chase Hunter also threw his name in the ring but did not garner enough attention to be considered a likely draftee.

As a result, the Tigers face their second consecutive year without a player being selected in the NBA draft. The last time a Clemson player was picked in either round of the draft happened two years ago, when the Denver Nuggets selected Hunter Tyson as the 37th pick.

PJ Hall, who was the talk of the town last year, also went undrafted and joined the Nuggets for the Summer League. He played a season in the NBA G League with the Grand Rapids Gold.

Chase Hunter, who led the Tigers in scoring last season at 16.5 points per game, unlike Lakhin, found his way onto the Summer League roster, signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by R. Elahi