Strengths:

• Very large. Didn't measure at the G League Elite Camp, but came in at 6 feet 11.5 in shoes at Portsmouth with a 7-1.5 wingspan and a 9-foot-1.5 standing reach. Won't have elite size for an NBA big, but he's big enough to make it work. Athletically, he has smooth feet. Not the fastest guy, but he has some surprisingly twitchy moments.

• Lakhin was a defensive difference-maker for Clemson. The Tigers were nearly nine points per 100 possessions better when he was on the court defensively versus when he was off. Opposing teams shot just 53.8% at the rim when he was on the court versus 62.9% when he was off. Blocked 1.5 shots per game. You could feel his presence around the basket.

• Lakhin's feet were solid on the perimeter, too. He could twist and turn his hips to react to counters by offensive players. Constantly kept himself in motion as opposed to sinking back into his heels. Not fast, but with how he's able to sink and turn to cut off angles, he at least has a chance, unlike some of the other bigs in this class, to handle situations where he gets stuck on an island.

• Versatile in ball-screen coverages because of his footwork. Best in drop coverage where he can hang out around the lane and protect the basket, but had some moments when he could show and recover or deal with pick-and-pop shooters. He gave potential first-round pick Maxime Raynaud more problems than any other big I say this year. Could sit down and defend him in space in addition to playing at the level of the screen before recovering back to him.

• Offensively, he keeps things simple. Was used mostly as a post big this season. Has two notable strengths.

• First, Lakhin started to make shots from distance this year. He hit 37.5% of nearly two 3-point attempts per game, a big leap from last season. The jumper looks quite clean. It takes him a while to load into it and get set up, but once he does, it comes out of his hand purely. The mechanics are tight to his body with a nice, high finish. Has soft touch on the ball. We're dealing with a small sample, but the shot seems workable. He also made nearly 70% of his free throws this season.

• Second, Lakhin has some perimeter game as a trailer who can initiate action with dribble-handoffs into drives or rejects. He can take a couple dribbles toward his guard to set him up, or to reset if the defense is too tight. Lakhin was also a decent passer this year, showing some comfort as a driver into kickouts as well as hitting a few backdoor cutters. Averaged 1.5 assists per game.

Areas for Improvement:

• Lakhin's injury history is an issue. He consistently misses time or is playing through injury, with this foot injury being the latest.

• While he's very functional in how he flips his hips and moves around the court, he doesn't have much explosion. Struggles to lift and finish around the rim. Doesn't have many high-level dunks in his highlight reel.

• Offensively, his jumper is going to have to come through, because I'm not sure how he'll score otherwise. Struggled to put any pressure on the rim. Took under three shots per game at the basket, a wildly low number for a fairly high-usage center. That's why his overall field-goal percentage was 50.7%. Had to take a lot of shots from deeper than you'd like your tallest player to take them.

• Around the basket, he was not effective for a big. Made only 57.3% of his attempts at the rim, a very low number for a center. Only had 11 dunks in half-court settings, which is an issue. Doesn't have much lift and does not project to be much of a downhill rim-running force with a guard for a lob. Therefore, the shooting is essential to his translation if he's going to provide any efficient offense.

• Jumper isn't there yet. He took two 3s a game, but this is the first year with any run of success. It's developable, but it's going to take time -- time that someone who turns 24 right after the draft might not have before the NBA moves on.

• While Lakhin moves well on the perimeter, he does so for a big man and not for an NBA player. Still has a chance to get cooked in space by many of the NBA's best guards, who could easily turn the corner on him. In general, I loved his defense but he's still going to be best as a drop-coverage big who can occasionally get versatile with his coverages.

• He also doesn't control the defensive glass in the way that you'd hope. Averaged just 4.1 defensive rebounds per game.

Summary:

If Lakhin didn't have such a long injury history, I'd be quite high on him as a bet to continue developing. His defense this year was awesome, and it's versatile in an appealing way for NBA teams. He shuts down the interior while also holding his own out on the perimeter for the most part. Then on offense, he has a non-zero chance to shoot 3s, which would be a huge value boost. The main worry is that Lakhin might not end up shooting and wouldn't really have much of a way to score. His 9-foot-1.5 standing reach is solid for the NBA, but it's not elite for his role. And you can't diminish the role of injuries here, especially given that he's unlikely to play at Summer League with his foot injury. If he were healthy, I'd have him in the priority two-way bucket near Vladislav Goldin. But with his injury history, I can't quite get to that level. I'd be happy to take a shot on him as a two-way. Hopefully the injuries become a thing of the past and he can get a solid run at the NBA.