Lakhin could fill a void at backup center.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have two late second-round picks they can use to improve their roster. There’s speculation as to whether they’ll use both or either of them. But if they do, they have the opportunity to grab a traditional center, like Viktor Lakhin, to bolster their front-court depth.
Who is Viktor Lakhin?
Lakhin is a 6’11”, 245 lb. big from Russia. He played three seasons at Cincinnati before transferring to Clemson for his final season. Lakhin averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Tigers on .507/.375/.696 shooting splits.
This is a traditional center by nearly every definition out there. Lakhin ins’t flashy. He knows who he is. And he adequately fulfilled that role in college. Whether or not that can translate to the professional game remains to be seen.
Where is Lakhin expected to go in the draft?
Lakhin is between the mid to late 50s on most draft boards. He’s someone who could be there for Cleveland’s 58th pick or someone they could target as an undrafted free agent.
What do the experts say about Lakhin?
Stephen Gillaspie of No Ceilings:
With the NBA game placing an emphasis on playing through their bigs, it’s important to account for a prospect’s ability to at least string the play along. This is one of the areas where Viktor has shown the most improvement. Last season at Cincinnati, Lakhin had an Assist Percentage of 13.4 and a Usage Percentage of 23.1. Those numbers jumped to 15.1 and 25.8, respectively. At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, I saw—first hand—Viktor bring the ball up the floor and initiate offense along the perimeter.
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As impressive as the growth Viktor has shown on the offensive end, the work he’s put into his defense may be even more noteworthy. For those of you who are into Defensive Box Plus/Minus (I know you’re out there!), Lakhin went from a 2.4 DPBM in Cincinnati to 4.0 with Clemson. His overall activity and awareness all took major strides in the right direction. Per Synergy, Lakhin ranked in the 42nd percentile this past season, allowing a Field Goal Percentage of 43.9%.
He does a good job of executing simple plays, whether it’s dribble handoffs or high-low entry passes. And though he won’t be asked to post up often in the NBA, he does a good job of finding the open man from down low.
How could Lakhin help the Cavs?
People have been clamoring for a backup big for years now. While I don’t see that as a major concern for this group as long as both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are on the team, it is certainly an area you could try to fill with a late second-round pick.
Whether or not Lakhin is the perfect player to fill that hole is up for debate. Traditional bigs have their purpose, but you’d ideally like someone who could easily share the floor with both Allen and Mobley. Lakhin could do that with Mobley, but probably not with Allen due to their skill sets.
That said, you can’t be too picky when it comes to late second-round picks. Lakhin has the size and at least some of the skills that you look for in a backup center. There’s potential that he could grow into that role if he’s in the right system.